Prompt Me Anything
by CalPal052699
Summary: A series of unrelated Castle and Beckett ficlets based on prompts from readers.
1. prompt 1: not too much fun

**Prompt from _iwillneverbesafe_ on tumblr: Castle and Beckett getting ready for their bachelor/bachelorette party_  
_**

* * *

"Can you get the clasp, Castle?" she asked, turning to face him.

He looked up to meet her eyes, looking a like a dear caught in headlights. Even now, not even a week left before their wedding, and he still looked like he thought she was going to pull out her gun when she caught him admiring her. She rolled her eyes at him and laughed softly.

"Babe, as long as you don't look at the strippers we both _know _Espo hired like that, you have nothing to worry about" she teased him, making his eyes widen. "Now, can you put on my necklace?"

He smiled at her and put out his hand, in which she gingerly placed the necklace she was planning on wearing.

He smiled when he saw which one it was, the white gold chain with the heart shaped pendant, half the heart inset with chocolate diamonds, the other with normal ones. He had given it to her for Valentine's day that year, but she very rarely wore it. It didn't really go with any on her work outfits, anyway. Still, he liked knowing she appreciated the gift—even though she had come close to making him return it due to its cost back when he first placed the box in the palm of his hand.

She turned around it front of him. With his free hand, he brushed her loose, curled hair off the back of her neck, letting his fingers brush the skin just enough to make her shiver.

"Castle" she warned softly. "Lanie will be so mad if I'm late"

He didn't respond, simply slipping the necklace around her neck and doing up the clasp. Before placing her hair back where it had been, he pressed a soft kiss to the nape of her neck.

"You look beautiful. I kinda wish we didn't have a separate parties to attend" he whispered to her. He could picture her smile as she leaned back and rested against his chest.

"I know" she said. "But you'll have fun" she added, waiting a second before turning in his arms. She smiled up at him, pressing a kiss to his lips, hard and almost possessive. "Just…don't have too much fun" she whispered, looking away from him.

"Kate?" he asked. He used his thumb to bring her gaze back up to his, seeing the insecurity that lingered in her eyes. "Kate, you have nothing to worry about"

"I know. It's just, they're strippers, Castle. They're being paid to shove their boobs in your face and they'll…they'll definitely be good looking" she said softly.

"Yet not nearly as beautiful nor as sexy as you" he told her,leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead. "You know I'm not that man anymore, right? I'd never do anything with another woman. I love you too much"

She smiled. "I love you, too"

He leaned down and kissed her. "And I promise, I won't have too much fun. We'll have fun when we get home, okay?" He punctuated his sentence with a waggle of his eyebrows.

She laughed, pressing the top of her head to his chest. That was the Castle she knew, loved and trusted.


	2. prompt 2: in the wake

**Prompt from anonymous on tumblr: Freezer scene where Kate finished to say that phrase and then they talk about it after they're saved.**

* * *

"Castle, thank you for being there" she tells him, her voice weak and shaky, her body shivering in his arms. He can feel her body growing almost limp in his body, her chest pressing tighter against his as her strength dissipates, as she begins to give up.

Somehow, he knows she's not just talking about now, about the way he's holding her in his arms in attempt to keep her warm, keep her alive. She's talking about all the other times where he's been there, where they've been together, facing death, facing hardships. He's pretty sure she's thanking him for every single time he's been there, and he hopes she knows he's just as thankful for all the times she's been there for him.

"Always" he tells her, feeling the need to make her understand just how much he cares for her. He wants her to know that, if they somehow get out alive, he's still going to be there. He'll always be there, no matter what.

He feels her breathe against him, her breath shallow, weak like the rest of her.

"I just want you to know how much I…" she trails, he can feel the life slipping out of her, her mind going blank, her body slipping into oblivion. His heart swells with an immense amount of fear as it hits him hard that he is quite probably holding her during the final minutes of her life. Her face falls against his shoulder, her hand resting against his chest. Her body almost gives out before he hears the whisper, so quiet its barely audible. "Love you"

* * *

He watches longingly as she walks away from Josh. Her face is blank, almost emotionless, but Josh's isn't. He looks upset, sad. When he looks up at Castle, he looks angry.

Kate is coming towards him, he realizes. A crowd surrounds them, paramedics and cops alike. She's dwarfed by the large blanket draped over her shoulders, the edges held tightly together over her chest. One exactly like it is draped over him.

"Castle" she says once she's standing only a few feet away from him. He sees the small smile playing at the corners of her lips as she takes the final few steps in his direction. He can still see the slight shaking on her hands and arms, the shivers still running through her. He feels like the cold will never go away. "We, uh…need to talk"

"I know" he tells her, not bothering to elaborate. They both know what they need to talk about. He just hopes she won't tell him it was heat of the moment—even though they had been freezing to death. The words out of her mouth surprise him.

"I broke up with Josh" her voice gentle yet confident. He notes that she doesn't sound very upset, very sad at all for the loss of her relationship. "I couldn't… I can't be with him, now. Not after I told you something…I never told him" she admits, her voice dropping to a tone that's barely audible.

He swallows hard, unsure of what to say. He had never wanted to believe that she loved Josh. It was like a knife to the heart just seeing them together. But to hear it from her, to hear that she never told him she loved him, and based on her non-existent reaction to the breakup, he doubts she did.

"I don't know if you heard me. You, uh…passed out…but I love you, too" he tells her tentatively, shyly, hoping for a good reaction from her. His wish is granted with the smile that comes across her face, eyes lighting up slightly.

"I know. I mean, I didn't hear you, but…I knew" she tells him. He's pretty sure she's migrated towards him, because when he reaches out, his hand comes in contact with the blanket and he can feel her body shaking even more.

"You're still cold" he points out. She doesn't bother to deny it, nods instead. He can't believe it. The Kate he knew twelve hours ago would've denied it no matter what. His heart swells and we opens his arms up to her, satisfied when she walks into them. He nuzzles his face into her hair as her arms wrap around his midsection, the warmth of her instantly warming him. He hopes she feels the same way. "We'll talk it all out later, Kate. Now, I just want to keep you warm" he tells her.

She nods against his chest, nuzzling herself deeper into him. His grip on her tightens, and there they stand, safe, as happy as possible, and in love, a relationship budding, blossoming in the wake of yet another near death experience.


	3. prompt 3: there for her

**Prompt from anonymous on tumblr: Josh hits Kate during their breakup and she calls Rick and he sees Josh as he leaves her building.**

* * *

"Castle" he states plainly as he answers the phone. Its become automatic when Beckett calls now.

What he hears on the other end, though, isn't her rattling off information and an address on their latest body drop, or even thinking about leads on their latest case. In fact, she's not saying anything. Its as if she called him by accident.

"Kate!" he hears suddenly, a male voice that he knows should be familiar, but for a moment draws a total blank. And then it hits him. Its Josh, her _boyfriend._

For a short moment he debates hanging up, figuring she must've dialed his number by accident, butt dialed him maybe. And the last thing he wants to hear is any interaction between her and Dr. Motorcycle Boy, especially something that could cause her to _butt dial _him.

But then the voice is back, not laced with joy, love or even lust.

"This is about _Writer Boy, _isn't it?" says Josh, voice loud and almost a scream, dripping with anger, irritation, rage even. It sends a shiver down his spine, makes him think that no man should ever speak to a woman that way, especially not their girlfriend.

He had never liked Josh, and made no secret of his dislike for the charming, dashing cardiac surgeon that seemed to be every girl's dream. But this, _this _only makes him hate the doctor, and he believes its rightfully so, especially when he hears her voice through his cellphone's receiver.

"No, Josh! Its not about Castle" she says, a response he completely expected, but not that way. Her voice is shaking, and holds so much denial that it almost sounds like she's convincing _herself._ But even that isn't what catches his attention.

Kate sounds scared, really scared. Her voice shakes with much more than denial, much more than uncertainty. She sounds scared, terrified. And after going on three years of sitting and watching her interrogate, arrest, intimidate murderers, some of the most ill-tempered, ruthless, dangerous people in New York City, its not a sound he ever expected to hear, much less over the phone.

Its shocks him so much that he's telling Alexis he's going out and not to wait up for him, ignoring her asking him if its a case, and leaving the loft, slamming the door shut behind him before either Josh or Kate speak again. He doesn't want to give Dr. Motorcycle Boy another chance to upset Kate, to _frighten _her._  
_

He's hopping into a cab when a voice cuts through the silence on the other end again, Josh's screams so loud he has to hold the phone away from him ear.

"You know that's a lie, Kate! I'm not blind. I can see the way he looks at you, not to mention the way you look at him. God, Kate, I love you and thought I had a chance with you!"

She whimpers in response, sounding as if she's backing away from him. Castle urges the cab driver to go faster, ignoring the man's angry replies. He just wants to get to Kate.

After minutes of screams all along the lines of the first, accusations and denials, pounds and whimpers, the cab _finally _pulls up at Kate's building. Castle is more scared than ever, the sounds coming through his phone cryptic and leaving his writer's mind to come up with the worst possible scenarios.

For the first time since he heard about Josh, those thoughts aren't dictated by his jealousy, but by pure worry for the woman on the other end of the line, his friend.

Just as he gets into the elevator he hears the sound that breaks his heart. Its the unmistakeable sound of skin against skin, palm against cheek, and the choked cry she lets out in reaction to what was plainly obviously a slap.

He almost punched the wall with anger at the doctor who's currently during the stark opposite of his job. He forces himself not to, though, knowing that it wouldn't do him or Kate any good.

The elevator doors open and the person on the other side is the last person he wants to see right now. This time, he can't talk himself out of it, he shoves the doctor up against the wall, holding him there by the shoulders.

"You hurt Kate again and I swear you'll regret it" he spits in the doctor's face before releasing him and throwing him down the hall, into the elevator's closing doors. And then he sees Kate's open door and runs straight for it, shutting it behind him and running right for her.

She's sitting on the floor, practically curled up in a ball. She doesn't look too beaten…well, any amount of bruises is too many, but he knows it could be worse. Her cheek is red, her head resting against the wall behind her, hand-shaped bruises appearing on her arms already, tears rolling down her cheeks.

In years of knowing her, he's never seen Kate so upset, hurting so much.

"Kate" he calls running to her side. His arm wraps around her back and pulls her into him, holding her face to his chest as he attempts to soothe her. She cries into his chest, holding him tightly and…apologizing? He doesn't bother to say anything in response to her apologies.

Eventually, she calms down and he scoops her up in his arms and carries her to her couch. He sets her down carefully, and then turns to make her a cup of tea. She grips his arm to make sure he doesn't go.

"Castle?" He meets her eyes to tell her he's listening. "Thanks" she whispers softly. "And, uh…can you stay with me?" she asks shyly. He nods, but turns to make her tea anyway, until she pulls him back again.

Its then that it clicks, she doesn't want tea, she wants comfort that she can apparently get from him. So he sits down next to her, pulls her back into his arms and hopes that she knows he's there for her.

He never mentions the parts about this fight supposedly being about him.

He just wants her to know he's there for her.

Always.

* * *

**I'm open to prompts here in the reviews or on tumblr: .com (without the parentheses).**


	4. prompt 4: you smell like cherries

**Prompt from Punctuation Punk here on fanfiction: a scene where the "you smell like cherries," line results in a kiss.**

* * *

"You smell like cherries," he states out of the blue, so randomly that it makes her look up from the pictures they had been looking at.

She almost immediately regrets it.

His face is mere inches from hers, blue eyes looking up at her, meeting her green ones. Almost instantly, she feels the sexual tension that's always in the air between them appear in full force. The air is suddenly thicker, and she struggles to keep her breathing even as she looks into the blue orbs that have always captivated her.

And she can't help it. She lets her eyes travel down his face to land on his plump, slightly parted lips. They look so kissable, like they're begging for the touch of hers, and she finds herself parting her own, taking in a careful and steady breath.

She knows she shouldn't kiss him. She knows they're in the _workplace_, not at all the appropriate location for a first kiss that she _knows _will release a lot of pent up passion. She knows that Ryan, Esposito, Montgomery or any other detective could walk in at any moment with information on their case, or a simple question for her or Castle. She knows it's a bad idea.

But she leans in anyway.

Her eyes flutter closed as she feels his warm breath right against her lips, can tell that there is only millimetres between them. The tension is palpable, the air thick, her breathing becoming suddenly shallow, just like his.

And then her lips are against his.

She's never been so nervous about a first kiss, she realizes as she feels herself relax against him. She instantly finds that strange, considering the fact that he's more of a notch on the bedpost type of guy. She hates him...most of the time.

Now is apparently not one of those times.

His hand moves to cup her cheek and jaw, his thumb running over the skin there. She feels goosebumps rise on her arms and a chill run down her spine, cursing herself for having such a reaction to even the simplest of touches.

Their kiss, however, is becoming anything but simple.

She feels his tongue run over her lower lip, making her open up to him. All ideas of pulling away, of putting an end to this before someone catches them, slip her mind as his talented tongue meets hers in an elaborate yet simple dance. The feeling his new, different and unlike anything she's ever felt before, in all the best ways possible.

It makes a soft moan escape her throat without her consent.

The angle is slightly awkward. She's bent over in order to keep her lips against his, in order to not break the hard and passionate kiss that their lips are locked in. But her back is starting to ache a bit, and for a moment she debates pulling away from him, or straddling his lap.

He makes the decision for her, pulling her flush against him.

Instantly, her whole body heats up, the electricity that seemingly runs between them making the heat pool deep in her core. She pulls away for a second, taking in a quick breath and letting her eyes lock on his. She sees the nerves shining in his, and finds herself wondering for a second if maybe she'd be more than a notch on the bedpost, more than a one-night stand. She decides she doesn't care, and dives back into the kiss.

It's just as another soft moan slips from her throat that the thing she dreaded most when they started this happens.

"Hey, we got a hit on the-" Ryan's voice interrupts their moment, his sentence cutting off short when as he realizes what had been going on. Kate can't scramble off Castle fast enough to make it look at least somewhat innocent, like she _wasn't_ just straddling Castle in the precinct, making out with him.

"Are we interrupting something?" asks Esposito, as if the answer isn't obvious, as if the blush rising to her cheeks isn't totally giving her away. Not to mention the smug grin on his face as the completely different answers slip from their mouths at the same time.

"No?"

"Yes,"

She shoots him a look, a glare that tells him she's not at all impressed with his answer. He just shrugs, and she doesn't bother to argue. The boys know, no matter much fun she tries to deny it.

So she doesn't, and changes the subject instead.

"You got a hit on what?"

* * *

Later that evening, as they're leaving the precinct, she finds herself standing next to him in the elevator. He's standing closer than necessary, closer than usual, and she's only half surprised to find she doesn't mind the slightest.

In fact, she likes being able to feel the warmth of his body in a such a close proximity, so much so that she finds herself acting completely uncharacteristically.

She leans a little closer to him, letting her upper-arm brush his.

"You smell like Axe," she whispers to him, grinning as he looks down at her with wide eyes. She can tell he's surprised, and can see the hint of wonder as he looks down at her, wondering and hoping that he knows what she means. She nods her head slightly.

She's pretty sure the elevator doors aren't even closed by the time he has her pressed up against the wall, lips locked on hers in a hot kiss.


	5. prompt 5: the morning after grad

**Prompt from chorwitz114 here on fanfiction: Caskett's oldest child goes to Alexis' house after getting her first hangover, and Alexis tells the story about how Caskett finally got together the same night she got her first hangover.**

* * *

Alexis Castle crawled out of bed carefully at the sound of a sudden knock on the door.

It was no later than seven, she notes as she walked through her apartment to answer the soft yet repetitive pounding on her front door. People very rarely showed up at her place so early, and the few times it had happened it had been an emergency.

When she opened it, though, she was slightly surprised to find her eighteen-year-old sister on the other side.

"Hannah," she welcomed, hearing the surprise in her own voice. She had seen Hannah the day before, at her graduation. She had been so proud of her little sister, watching as she gave her valedictorian speech the way she had twenty years ago.

Hannah had always reminded Alexis of herself. She had always been out-going and talkative, yet kind, well-behaved and reserved. She hadn't been a rebellious teenager, but had been trying to find her place in the world. She had made mistakes, of course, but always managed to land on her feet.

She still remembered the one time Kate came up to her, at Hannah's sweet sixteen a little over two years before, and told her that she was so proud that her little girl was turning out to be so much like her older sister.

She had admitted that she was pretty proud, too.

But now, as she took in her little sister's appearance, she realized that something's off. Her hair was dishevelled, the curls she had carefully put in it almost completely undone and a matted mess atop her head. Her eyes were bloodshot, red and puffy. She was pale, her eyes drifting in and out of focus. And suddenly, it hit her.

"Hannah, are you hungover?" she asked, her words echoing the ones their father had asked her a couple decades ago, which seemed to long ago now that she looked at her little sister in the same situation.

"I'm sorry, Lexie", said the teenager standing on the doorstep. Alexis smiled at the nickname, her younger siblings being the only people she let call her that. Everyone else called her Alexis or Lex. It was nice to have something she shared with Hannah, Jamie and Monte, and only them.

"Hey, hey. It's okay. Come on in," she said, ushering her little sister into her apartment and carefully closing the door behind her. "Come. Lay down on the couch, Hannah. I'll get you a glass of water and aspirin."

Hannah did as she was told, walking slowly to the couch in her older sister's living room and sitting down. She decided not to lay down, even though her head was begging her to do exactly that. She knew she'd have to sit up again in a matter of minutes to take the pills.

She was happy with herself for at least still having some of her usual good judgement, which she had obviously lost the night before.

Alexis re-entered the room with a glass in one hand and pills cupped in the other. She handed both to her sisters and watched as she swallowed the pills, remembering how her father had gone off about she should want to enjoy her first hangover without the help of over-the-counter pain relievers—a statement that she had strongly disagreed with. It was later revealed that it had simply been a way to get Kate out of them apartment undetected.

She watched as Hannah laid down on the couch, resting her surely pounding head on the armrest.

"God, this was so irresponsible of me, Lexie," she said, voice soft but dripping with disappointment in herself. "I can't believe I got _drunk, _on the night of my _graduation._"

"I got drunk for the first time the night of my graduation," admitted Alexis, trying to comfort the little girl she had watched grow up, who was apparently not so little anymore. "It was also the night dad and Kate got together," she added as she remembered the odd morning and the weeks that followed.

Hannah let out a groan, one that held the question of what her parents would think once they found out. Alexis, honestly, doubted their father would be disappointed. Kate perhaps a little more, but they loved Hannah and were beyond proud of her, and they trusted her enough to know that she hadn't planned on getting drunk the night before. Hannah was a responsible girl, and one mistake wouldn't change that.

Deciding it might help her sister calm down, relax, Alexis decided to tell her the story she now found funny.

"I had called dad when I realized I was drunk, but he didn't pick up, so I called Gram" she told Hannah, her voice dropping to a more somber tone at the mention of her now late grandmother. She recovered quickly, though, the years since her death making it easier. "She came back from the Hamptons to pick me up and brought me home. Dad wasn't in the living room or kitchen, so she left me to go find him, promising she'd keep him calm" she chuckled softly to herself at the memory of how worried she'd been, only for her father to tell her he was _proud _of her. "He came out and started talking to me really loudly" she added, trying to keep her own voice soft in order to keep her sister's headache from worsening.

"Did you see mom?" mumbled the teenager on the couch, curious about the morning after her parents' first night together, keeping her mind off what might of transpired the night before.

"No. I only found out she was there a few weeks later when dad told me they were officially together. I had been a little grouchy at the time and took it out on Kate, though. I only found out about that morning and what exactly had gone on—I mean, after Gram and I showed up—right after I first started dating Jacob," she explained softly.

She remembered the conversation she had had with her step-mother years before, early on in her relationship with her now-husband. She had asked Kate is it was possible to feel the difference so quickly when you found _the one. _Kate, of course, had gone on to tell her how she had felt it immediately, during their first real kiss, and the entire night that followed it. Of course, she had been thankful that Kate hadn't gone into detail. She had laughed after, though, as she mentioned knowing the morning she woke up in his arms that she wanted to wake up there every single day for the rest of her life.

"Dad made Kate hide in the closet, you know? To keep Gram from seeing her" she began telling Hannah the story Kate had told her. "And after he came out to talk to me, she got dressed and was trying to sneak out. Gram almost saw her, but dad started talking really loud about not taking medication. Apparently, she realized she forgot her bra on her first attempt to sneak out and try and get it, too" she finished, laughing softly at the image of Kate trying to sneak out of the loft, where she now lived.

Hannah laughed softly, too, but then groaned as it made her head pound.

Alexis smiled sympathetically and leaned over to run her fingers through her sister's messy brown hair.

"Get some sleep, Hannah. We'll deal with telling dad and Kate later, okay?" she asked. Hannah nodded in response.

"Alexis? Thanks...for helping, and for telling me the story"


	6. prompt 6: she knows he knows

**Prompt from Madelynn one here on fanfiction: how Kevin Ryan would act toward Beckett after 'Murder, He Wrote', maybe the first day or two after they get back from the Hamptons.**

* * *

The first day, she's overwhelmingly aware of Ryan's eyes on her as she walks off the elevator.

She knows full well that, as a cop, it's instinct to turn whenever someone walks into the room, especially at the precinct. You never know when a person of interest in your case could walk in, or when some crazy person with a gun might come in.

Still, she feels uncomfortable under his gaze, even though it's only for a short moment before he turns away with an almost satisfied smirk on his lips. She wonders for a second if maybe he had seen her squirm. It's something they always watch out for when interrogating a suspect.

She looks away from him, taking a seat at her desk, thankful that Castle agreed to showing up at work _separately_, maintaining, in a way, the little hope she still had that Ryan didn't know.

_"I'm pretty sure he told me everything he knows,"_ her friends words echo through her mind. Of course, he could've been talking about the case. But there had been a hint of teasing, of knowing—if she hadn't been so panicked about the possibility of Ryan _knowing_about them, she probably would've smiled because it was so Castle-like of him.

Now, though, as she sits at her desk going over what she missed over their weekend away, she has an even stronger feeling that Ryan knows they're together, but she also gets the feeling that Espo doesn't. And that would mean that Ryan didn't run his mouth, and that _maybe _their secret is still safe.

With a soft sigh, she forces her mind to focus on the paperwork the boys had left on her desk, and off the possibility of Ryan knowing...and off some of the things that had transpired that weekend that she was really having trouble forgetting.

The latter issue arises again when Castle walks into the bullpen, smile gracing his lips and a cup of coffee in each hand. And then he walks to her desk, stands next to her chair, towering over her as she looks up at him, greets her and holds out her cup of coffee. She smiles and thanks him, letting their fingers brush as she takes the white coffee cup from him, remembering how good it felt to be able to just hold his hand, any time, any place, back in the Hamptons.

Oh god, she's too late to pull away. A blush is already rising to her cheeks, memories of how exactly he had held her hands in place creeping into her mind. She looks away from Castle, but not quick enough to miss the amused look on Ryan's face.

_Yup,_ she thinks. _He knows for sure now._

Later that day, she's standing in the break room, making herself and Castle a cup of coffee when Ryan walks in. She doesn't say anything, lets him dance around her until he finally speaks up.

"So, how was your weekend with your _boyfriend_, Beckett?" he asks. She doesn't miss the teasing tone in his voice, the knowing tone he had on the phone that day when he told them Aaron Lerner told him everything he knew.

"Good," she answers simply, forcing herself not to look out the window of the room at her boyfriend, sitting there, amusing himself with his phone.

"Still not going to tell us who he is?" he asks. She looks up from the cup of coffee she had been stirring to meet his eyes, shrugging one shoulder.

"It doesn't matter," she says plainly, not bothering to hide the fact that she knows he knows.

"Oh, come on, Beckett," he teases. She shrugs again and leaves the break room, Ryan only a few feet behind her.

She hands Castle his coffee, once again letting her fingers linger against his a few seconds than necessary. This time, he back is to Ryan and Esposito, so she doesn't have to work as hard to hide her smile.

And then she sits down at her desk, the corners of her lips still tilted slightly upwards.

As Ryan watches, he knows that he shouldn't be teasing her about this. Castle treats her right—he has since very earlier on in their partnership. And he's never seen Beckett smile the way she is now, shy but so happy that she can't keep it off her lips.

He also realizes that he and Esposito obviously aren't the best detectives in the world, because now that he knows, he sees that the pair of partners is doing a horrid job at hiding it.


	7. prompt 7: come out already

**Found this prompt on castlefanficprompts on tumblr and decided to write it: Kate is overdue and starts to get frustrated. Castle tries to cheer her up.**

* * *

"I want you out!" she practically screamed at her unborn baby, beyond frustrated.

She was over a week overdue, forty-one weeks and four days pregnant. She knew if she didn't go into labor by the next day, she'd be induced, and she didn't want that.

Since the beginning, Kate had been hoping for a drug-free labor and delivery. Of course, an induction would put an immediate damper on those plans.

But the baby wouldn't budge. Besides a few extremely mild cases of Braxton Hicks, and of course the annoyingly heart-melting kicks that kept her up _all night, _there had been nothing. No even an increase in back pain.

That was until that morning, when she had been oddly pleased to find her back hurt more than usual. She hoped it meant _something_ was happening, moving this pregnancy one step closer to the end, but there had still been _nothing._

"Why won't you just come out already?" she asked, tears stinging her eyes as she stared down at her _huge _baby bump. "I want to meet you" she cried, cursing her hormones and mood swings, frustrated with herself as much as with the baby who seemingly refused to be born.

That was the real reason she was so frustrated. Sure, the swollen and aching feet sucked. The cravings were becoming rather annoying, along with the almost constant need to pee. Not to mention the way she waddled at a snail's pace everywhere I could barely get out of bed on her own any more.

Yeah, all those things _sucked _for someone as independent as her, as strong as her.

But she really just wanted to hold her baby in her arms, give him or her a name and kiss their little head while Rick watches with tears in his eyes. She wants that. She has for a long time now. But baby Castle apparently has other plans, and is determined to postpone it as long as possible.

"Come on, please, baby? Can you please just come out?" she practically begs, wondering to herself when exactly she had become like this, when she had become what Castle called _motherly_.

When did she become such a baby person?

"Kate?" she suddenly hears from behind her, voice soft, filled with love, filled with worry. She tilts her head backwards to meet his eyes, the hint of amusement mixing with the worry in his eyes in a strange way that was, oddly, familiar. He pulls the corners of his lips up in a small, obviously fake smile. "Are you okay?"

She sighs audibly as she looks back down at her belly, protruding in front of her, keeping the baby she wants out safe and warm within her.

"Yeah," she whispers softly, running her hands over her belly, feeling their baby's movement within her. She hears the shuffling of his feet as he moves to sit next to her, his hand moving to take one of hers. She lets him, but holds their joined hands to her bump, not willing to pull her hands away from their child yet. "I just... I want to meet them, Rick,"

"I know," he tells her softly, letting his thumb gently rub her stomach through the thin, stretched cotton of her shirt. "I do, too, Kate. But they'll be here soon, okay?" he asks her, his hand remaining over their child as he looks up at her.

She looks up to meet his eyes, sees the undying, undeniable love shining in them and knows he's right. Whether she has to be induced in a few days or not, the baby being here and healthy is, and will always be, her main priority. She's just...more impatient than ever before.

She blames the pregnancy hormones.

"Think about it, Kate. It's only a few days, at the most, before you get to hold our little baby. And you'll be able to show him or her the room you designed for them, and you'll get to feed them and talk to them and pick out outfits for them" he tells her, bringing his free hand up to her cheek to wipe the tears that had fallen from her eyes. "Are you okay, Kate? I'm not upsetting you more, am I?"

She hears the alarm in his voice as the words tumble from his mouth, the panic in his eyes at even the simple idea of upsetting her. She smiles, squeezes the hand that's still in hers.

"No, babe" she promises, eyes locking on his. "It's just so...beautiful...the pictures I conjure up. I can't wait to see _you _hold them" she tells him, letting her mind run wild with images of what their child might look like, of the way they'll find comfort in their parents' arms, of them sleeping in the crib they've had set up in the nursery for weeks.

He smiles as her eyes drift closed and she gets lost in her imagination, in the images he can only image are amazing, like the ones in his mind are. He leans over and presses his lips to her forehead.

"Just keep thinking like that, Kate. The baby will be here soon to make all your dreams come true, okay?" he asks her, mumbling against the skin of her head before pressing another soft kiss there. She nods against his lips, letting him continue to hold her hand as she imagines what life with a baby would be like.

He always had the ability to cheer her up.

Besides, her worries are short lived. It's only a few hours later that her water breaks, baby Castle apparently finally ready to make an appearance.

And with a father like Castle, make an appearance is exactly what she does.


	8. prompt 8: what they need to know

**Prompt from Onelife30 here on fanfiction: could you do one about when Castle and Alexis come back from Paris and he tells Martha about it?**

* * *

He holds the copy of _Casino Royale _in his hand, smiling at the three most important women in his life.

His mother's eyebrows are raised, urging him to tell him whatever he had just claimed he wanted to tell her.

Kate's brows were furrowed in confusion, her always on-edge mind, the one that come with being a cop, already spinning up theories about what he might want to tell Martha, about what horrible things might of happened in Paris. Of course, failing to realize the fact that his smile says everything but 'something horrible happened in Paris'.

Alexis' eyes are wide in horror, knowing he wasn't supposed to tell _anyone _about what really happened, about who saved them, but also shining with anticipation, knowledge, not only of what happened, but of the fact that they could trust Martha and Kate.

He shifted his gaze between the three, the curious, the worried and the knowing.

"I met someone, while in Paris," he says, smiling at the three. Instantly, he sees Kate's eyes practically bulge from her head before she recovers, jaw dropping half open before he realizes how that sounds. He reaches out and takes her hand in his. "Not like that, Kate," he promises.

As much as she's been trying to hide it, he's almost positive she's upset about him leaving without telling him. And if that reaction was anything to go by, he has a feeling she's a little insecure in their relationship, suddenly. And it's his fault.

"Definitely not like that," he repeats, squeezing her hand gently. She nods slowly, as if only half-accepting his answer, so he continues. "It was my dad, Kate, mother."

This time, Martha's jaw drops along with Kate's, both falling completely open in shock, the blue eyes belonging to his mother as wide as the green ones belonging to his girlfriend.

"You met...your father?" his mother asks after a rather long moment of silence, her eyes still wide, yet almost distant, as if she was remembering the one night she had shared with the man he had just only met for the first time that week.

"Yes, mother," he answers, searching her face for any joy or sadness on her face, an indication as to whether he should continue or just shut up about it.

"What did he say?" she asks finally, breaking another silence. Kate just keeps staring at him, as if in awe that he's sharing this with her. He wonders briefly if maybe she's thinking about that stupid comment Meredith made about him never wanting to talk about his father, the one that had made Kate ask him to quiz her on him, to make sure she knew him well enough to be with him.

"He said that..." he trails, really unsure of what is safe to say, of what is safe for them to know. He realizes quickly that most of what happened must remain secret, not necessarily for his father, but for Kate and Martha's safety.

The last thing he needs now is one of them going missing.

"He's in the CIA," he blurts out before his mind can fully analyse whether that's safe information or not. It's too late to take it back, though, and he decided that it can't do much damage for them to know that tidbit of information.

Instantly, he sees Kate's face flood with recognition, no doubt remembering the case with Sofia turner—just the thought of that still makes him shudder, the way he trusted the person that wanted to start World War III. No doubt remembering the way she had taunted him by telling him she knew something about his father, involving the CIA.

"He is?" she asks, voice soft and full of awe, telling him she really, truly cares about his father, about the fact that he finally got to meet him. "So, Sofia wasn't a total lying bi-" he sees the way she glances at Alexis quickly as she cuts her sentence short. "Psychopath," she finishes, shifting her glance from his daughter back to him.

Bitch wasn't a word Kate used often, but he had heard her say it a few times, all since they got together, almost all in regards to either his ex-wives or other women she had clearly been jealous of at the time.

He sees Martha and Alexis exchange curious glances, reminding him, of course, of the fact that no one was supposed to find out about that classified information on the case they had solved alongside the CIA about a year ago. Kate seems to notice, too, because she suddenly stiffens and lets her eyes wander between him, his mother and his daughter.

"Wait," she says suddenly. "You... I should go. This is a family thing," she says, despite still standing still in his kitchen, slowly moving to leave.

"Kate, no. You're family. You stay here," he tells her, wondering what brought on her sudden self-exclusion. She stills on spot again. Eyes relaying a question to him; _are you sure? _"Kate, please, I want you here," he tells her, reaching out to once again take the hand he hadn't realized he had dropped. She nods.

"Okay," she says simply, waiting for him to finish the story. I lets his eyes linger on hers for a second longer before turning back to his mother.

"I can't say much...because it could put you in danger," he tells her. "But he's been watching us...as in you, Alexis and I. And...he says he's proud of me, of us, and that he never meant to leave you like he did," he explains, seeing his mother's face light up with what can only be described as a mixture of joy and relief.

"Oh, Richard. I am so glad you got to meet him," she says, cutting another long silence short. He smiles at her, reaches with his free hand to pull her in for a hug. He refuses to let go of Kate, scared that the sudden insecurity she seems to be expressing will make her run for the hills and make him chase her.

"I am, too, mother," he whispers, his head resting against her red hair. She pulls away slowly, smiling up at him. He can't help but smile back, watching as she pulls away and moves to take something out of the fridge. A reminiscent smile remains on her face, and he realizes that it would've been horrible to keep it a secret from her, that she needed to know, that she deserved to know.

And then he turns to Kate, meeting her green eyes, shining with both love and insecurity. He sighs softly, wanting to take the doubt away, knowing he put it there by disappearing the France without telling her.

"I'm happy for you," she says softly, eyes moving off his to stare at the floor. He feels his heart break as he realizes how much he hurt her, the relief of seeing him alive fading to let him see how she's really feeling right now, the pain behind the joy.

"Kate..." he says softly, debating taking her into his office to talk in out right now so she knows that he didn't mean to upset her, that he was thinking in the moment, that he just wanted his daughter back, that he had been so glad that she was on the case because she was the _only _cop her trusted when she told him they had a great shot at getting her back, and still didn't make promises she couldn't keep.

But she speaks before he can finish his sentence.

"No, Castle. Right now, we're going to celebrate that you guys are both safe, the four of us. Later, we'll talk, okay?" he asks. He nods, even though he desperately wants to take the pain away. And he wants to tell her _everything_ that happened with his dad.

But when she lets go of his hand and goes to see Alexis, telling his daughter that she is so happy that she's safe and home, he realizes that the last thing he wants is to put her in danger. Besides, the little he has told them seems to make them happy—his mother because she now knows that it was never meant to be a one-night stand, gone the morning, and Kate because she knows that he's not going to hold back from her the way he held back from Meredith.

And for now, that's all they need to know.


	9. prompt 9: I want you out!

**Prompt from BurningxRedxCaskett: you should write a companion piece [to prompt 7: come out already] where she goes into labor and has the baby.**

* * *

"Castle!" she had called from the bathroom, voice laced with an odd mixture of fear and excitement.

Of course, it had caused him to run in there to find her—she always left the door unlocked, since she started having trouble buttoning up her pants. And he had found her standing there, pants still unbuttoned—not pulled up, in fact —perfectly still and looking down at the ground.

Around her feet had been a clear puddle.

And then, with her being Kate Beckett and him being Richard Castle, he had been the one panicking while she remained calm and logical, barking orders at him like had liked to do at the precinct. That was one moment where he wouldn't of even thought about disobeying her. So he had grabbed her bag, double-checked that absolutely everything was in it. He had called her father, Alexis, his mother, Lanie and told her to tell everyone else at the precinct so they could get going.

He had watched her sit on the couch and breathe through the contractions that seemed to have hit so suddenly, itching to comfort her, to take away the pain, to make it all okay and hand her their perfectly healthy baby. But most of those things he couldn't do, and the one he could do, he got screamed at for trying the first few times, her telling him he needed to get them ready as quickly as possible so they could _leave _for the hospital.

And if there was one thing Castle knew about pregnancy, it was that when your pregnant wife was screaming at you to do something, you did it, no matter what.

So, about an hour later, she was admitted to the hospital and walking around—determined to move, determined to do anything she could do to make the labor process go faster—the circle of the labor and delivery floor, holding his hand tightly in hers.

Upon her admittance, the doctor had told them it was possible for labor to go quicker since her water already broke on it's own, saying something about the baby's head pressing directly against her cervix and making her dilate faster. He hadn't really been listening. He didn't need to know the medical details of labor and delivery, not at all. He just needed to know that his wife and baby were okay, healthy and safe.

He knew Kate would want to walk around the _minute_ the doctor had mentioned that, for some women, it sped up the process. Only hours earlier, Kate had been practically screaming at their baby that she wanted to meet them, that she wanted to hold them. So he had sent her into the land of her daydreams, to the pictures her mind could conjure up of them and their baby, and it had kept her calm, allowed her to accept the fact that their baby would only come when he or she was ready to come. And now that the baby was apparently ready, or almost ready, she'd do anything to make the moments her mind created a reality as soon as possible.

He knew Kate, so he hadn't even waited for her to ask him to help her out of bed and walk with her, had just held out his hand and waited for her to take it.

She had walked for well over an hour, until her feet and back started to hurt and the contractions became for intense, much more intense. By then end of their walk, squeezing his hand and stilling for a moment no longer sufficed. Instead, as soon as she stopped moving,he'd move to stand in front of her and let her lean against him, her protruding belly, their baby, between them for what he realized was one of the last times.

Later, after she had settled back in her bed, he had offered to rub her feet—an offer she happily accepted. It had been rather difficult to get a good foot rub in, considering that every time she had a contraction she reached for his hand and squeezed it, so he stopped his massaging on her feet to help her through it. That went on until the doctor came in to check her and told her she was six centimeters dilated, entering the hardest part of labor.

From there, he had sat in the chair by her head, holding her hand, letting her squeeze it, whispering words of encouragement into her hair, pressing kisses to her head.

She needed him, and he was there.

The final four centimeters had come and gone quickly. Well, sort of quickly. It had only taken about a hour and a half—which even the nurse had been surprised by, considering it was Kate's first baby—but it had felt like much longer. Hearing her moan and groan in agony made the time go by ten times slower. And hearing her scream that she wanted to baby out made him want to speed up the process, even though he couldn't.

But as soon as she was mumbling that she had to push, he knew it was time. Kate never exaggerated anything, not when it came to how she was feeling.

That's what brought them to this very moment.

Now, he sits by her side in the delivery room, his hand in hers, his other holding her leg up as she pushes for the third time, bringing their baby into the world. He can swear, standing by her side in this very moment, that he's never seen her look more beautiful—yes, despite the sweat on her brow, the hair sticking to her face, the redness that stains her cheeks from the effort.

He's never loved her more.

He watches as she rests her head against her pillow, breaths coming in short pants, chest heaving, eyes closed tightly in agony. He hates seeing her in pain more than anything, but this time has to be the easiest. At least this time, she's going through it for a good cause, for their little baby, soon to be born.7

He sees the tears in the corners of her eyes, the pain overwhelming her as she groans loudly, the sound almost drowned out by the medical mumbling coming from the doctors.

But then she throws her head back against the pillow, releasing a ragged breath, tears welling in the corners of her eyes, and screams:

"I want you out!"

The doctor starts telling her that two or three more big pushes and she'll have her baby out and all the pain will pretty much go away. He does the same, but whispers into her ear to just imagine the baby, bring back the pictures she had conjured up earlier, and push with all her might to make that a reality.

He's not sure whether it's him or the doctor that get to her—even though he's almost positive it's him—but she pushes harder than she had throughout the entire delivery process. And it works, because two pushes later and the piercing cry of a newborn is sounding in the room.

She cries. She cries a lot. He's never seen her so happy, and wouldn't change it for the world.

The doctor tells them it's a baby boy, a perfectly healthy baby boy. And that makes Kate cry even more, repeating the doctor's every word to him as if in awe that they had created a perfect, beautiful human being, a little boy.

As soon as the baby is wrapped in a blanket and placed in her arms, she's crying again. He finds it extremely hard to believe that she was ever _not _a baby person.

She doesn't let him name the baby Cosmo. He doesn't mind at all. At this point, he's be okay with her naming the baby Banana, he's so in love with her—though, since she's shooting down Cosmo, he seriously doubts she'll name the beautiful baby Banana.

She doesn't name him after a fruit.

Instead, they name his Nicholas; Nicholas Alexander Castle.

And later, as he watches her breastfeed their perfect little boy for the first time, he realizes that she's not the only one whose mind had conjured up images begging to be made reality. His had, too.

And in that moment, she's making one of many come true.


	10. prompt 10: speak now

**Prompt from PatienceFortitude here on fanfiction: Castle or Kate are about to get married to someone else and the other...**

**Also, this is AU where all of season 4 happened, but Kate was still dating Josh, who was way more into their relationship than she was.**

* * *

She runs her hands over the front of her simple white gown, smoothing the material even though she's done it at least ten times in the last five minutes.

She can't help it. She's nervous. Who wouldn't be? She's about to marry the man of her dreams.

Or not.

No, she's _not _marrying the man of her dreams. The man of her dreams will be sitting in the crowd, watching her marry someone else.

And there's nothing she can do about it.

Because she's stupid. She lied to him. She lied to Josh. She lied to everyone, all because she was broken. She still is. She still can't have the relationship that she wants. The walls are still standing strong and tall, like a fortress around her heart. And now, there's nothing she can do about it.

One person has been able to make a dent in those walls, and it's not the one she's marrying.

She run her hands over the front of her dress again, knowing that someone will be here to get her for her _wedding _any minute.

And, oh God, today is her _wedding day._

So much for being a one and done type of girl. There's no way in hell that this marriage will work out—not with his schedule, her schedule, her walls, his lack of trying...and her love for someone else.

Why in the world did she lie to Castle for over a year? Why didn't she just dump Josh instead of getting back with him three months after her shooting? Why is she still stuck in this stupid relationship with a man that, if she's completely honest with herself, she doesn't love? And why in the world did she invite the man she does love to the wedding?

Oh, right. All that's because she's a stupid, broken girl who doesn't have the confidence to go and tell the man she loves that she loves him, or to say no to her boyfriend of two years' proposal.

And now, she's pretty sure she's hurting everyone because of one stupid mistake.

Esposito already came in to see her, to make sure she didn't think this was a mistake. Of course, she had denied wanting to back out and run for the hills...with Castle, no less. But she's pretty sure Espo didn't believe her. And then there was Ryan and Lanie, who were a little more sentimental about it and had her on the verge of tears when they told her that Castle still loved her—because apparently everyone knows, now. Even her dad told her this was a mistake.

But, you know, being the scared little wimp she apparently is when it comes to love, she can't bring herself to just cancel the wedding and hurt even _more _people.

She hears the door click as it opens and turns to meet Lanie's eyes filled with sympathy. She knows that's most definitely _not _how someone is supposed to be looking at you on your wedding day. She smiles back what she knows is a sad smile, and carefully takes the bouquet from her friend, walking out of the room and into the small space behind the church's main room.

"Writer Boy didn't bring a date, if that makes you feel any better," whispers Lanie.

She nods in response, but her head is screaming _no._ That's not better. Maybe, if he was with a date, she would be able to use her jealousy to get through the stupid wedding vows that she knows will be anything but kept. But now he's alone, and she's scared she'll back out of it all together as soon as she sees him.

It happens fast, too fast. One minute, she's standing there in her wedding dress, waiting for the stupid, annoyingly traditional wedding march song to start—Josh insisted. And the next she's standing at the altar, fighting to keep her eyes on his so she doesn't look like the scared girl she is.

There's a bunch of people in the church, but she can only feel one pair of piercing blue eyes on her, and she's fighting what feels like useless battle to keep herself from looking at him.

And then the preacher is asking if anyone has any objections to the wedding, and everyone turns to Castle, even her and Josh. She can only guess that Josh is trying to make sure Castle doesn't say anything. She's not sure what she wants.

But now he's standing and telling the preacher that he _does _object to the wedding, and suddenly she's struck with anger.

How the hell could he do this to her? Wait until she's getting _married _to Josh, who she really doesn't care about at the moment, but still? He loves her, she knows that, and she loves him, he doesn't know that, but he's waited until _now _to tell her again?

"Why?" she manages to get out, her hands releasing Josh's as she takes one step down from the altar. His eyes are shining, and she's being pulled towards him as if there's some magnetic pull between the two of them.

"Because I love you," he answers as if it's the most simple statement in the world. Her breath catches in her throat and she freezes on her walk down the aisle. She already knew, but hearing it again takes the breath right out of her. "But you already knew that, didn't you? You've known for over a year."

She nods, can't help it. There's no point in lying now. There's also no point in looking back at Josh, since there's no way in hell she's going through with this stupid excuse of a wedding now.

"Yeah..." she whispers, hating that they're having this conversation among all her friends and family, not to mention Josh's friends and family. "I'm so sorry, Castle. So sorry." Somehow, she's managed to get herself so close to him that there's only inches between them.

"Why did you lie, Kate?" he asks, straight to the point.

She takes a deep breath, shocked by his bluntness, but decides to be honest with him.

"Because I was scared, Rick. I was so scared of actually being in love with someone," she admits, feeling like her mouth is talking without letting her actually think first.

Everyone gasps around them, but the sound is drowned out as her eyes lock on his.

"I love you, Kate," he replies, eyes soft and filled with love. "And if that means anything to you, please, just don't marry him."

She answered him with a kiss—and she can't help but feel like they're in a storyline from Temptation Lane right about now—the feeling of his lips against hers better than anything she's ever felt before. And this is totally in appropriate at her wedding to another man—but she's pretty sure he's not even in the room anymore—but she can't help but moan as her lips open to welcome his tongue into her mouth.

"Get a room!" screams Lanie suddenly, breaking their moment of bliss. She pulls away, a blush instantly creeping up to her cheeks. But when his eyes lock on hers, they're dark and filled with want and she's biting her lips because of room doesn't sound half bad right about now.

"We have to talk," she whispers instead.

"Later," he replies, a mischievous sparkle in his eyes as he looks down at her.

She grins, teeth still holding her lips in place, and nods, deciding that talking can wait, that the room will be necessary _soon, _if she doesn't want to arrest them both for public indecency.

And the next time she's standing in the back room of a church, smoothing down the white lace of her dress, she's smiling wide and happy, about to marry the man of her dreams, for real, this time.


	11. prompt 11: around the corner

**Prompt from Clarkson124 here on fanfiction: What if Castle did wait around the corner for Beckett in episode 5x04?**

* * *

She smiles, pulling her lips between her teeth as the clock strikes five and there's no new murder, nothing to keep her from going to the Hamptons with Castle.

Well, except maybe the boys, as they perch on the desk behind hers and look down at the clock still ticking on her computer screen.

"With the way you've been watching the clock, I'm surprised you're not already gone," teases Esposito, even though the clock had only just struck 5:01.

She rolls her eyes, turning in her chair to face her two colleagues, their amused grins wide and happy and she knows she's never going to hear the end of it, especially not if they _somehow _find out who she's spending the weekend with.

"Yeah, Beckett. This guys must be pretty special is you're so desperate to not catch a case," tease Ryan in turn.

She shrugs as she stands, grabbing her jacket off the back of her chair as she does. Of course he's special. He's really special. He waited for four years for her, helped her through some of the hardest times in her life, did everything he could to keep her safe. He's most definitely _special._

Not to mention the fact that he's the first guy she's ever truly been _in _love with—and as much as she will never admit it, not so early, she hopes he's the last, too.

She just smiles, shakes her head slightly, and rolls her eyes, not only in regards to the boys' endless teasing about her new beau, but about the crazy, sappy thoughts she's already having about him.

This weekend is going to be great.

"No comment, Beckett?" asks Espo, standing up to follow her as Ryan does the same.

"You're still not going to tell us his name?" asks Ryan, the two like annoying little kids in the 'question asking' phase. She hopes the phase ends soon, unsure of how much more she can endure before she cracks.

"Nope," she says instead, her voice a mixture of teasing and finality, her mind silently begging them to not ask anything else.

Of course, that wish won't come true.

"How about you give us a hint?" asks Espo, moving to stand in front of her as she reaches for the elevator button, blocking her.

She looks up at him, eyebrows raised in an 'are you sure you want to do that?' look.

"Is he handsome?" asks Espo, trying to put up an unfazed front, unsuccessfully. She didn't get one of the highest case closure rates in New York City by missing body language.

"Or is he a bad-ass?" asks Ryan, standing next to his partner.

She tries desperately to keep the wistful smile of her face. Handsome? Oh, yeah. The things that man could do to her just by looking at her from the end of the desk...oh, God. Can't the boys just leave her alone so she can leave and enjoy her romantic weekend with her man? And bad-ass? She almost laughs at that thought. Castle isn't a bad-ass, that's for sure. Sure, he's punched shooters and almost dived in front of a bullet, _for her, _but he's a sap, on the inside, and a family man and that's part of what she loves about him.

"Oh, come on, Beckett! You have to give us something," whines Esposito, still blocking the elevator button with his body.

"Yeah. Like, what's his name? There's so many people in New York that his name can't possibly give away anything," says Ryan, logical as always. She might of given them his name, if that wouldn't give it away _completely. _

Yeah, telling them his name is Rick is not an option, and telling them Castle would be even worse.

"It doesn't matter, boys. Why do you care anyway?" she asks, debating taking the stairs for a moment. Castle might be getting worried, think she caught a case or something, or even show up.

"We just want to make sure you're not in any trouble, Beckett," Espo tells her, the teasing fading from his voice to be replaced by sincerity.

She's a little surprised by the admission, the thought never having crossed her mind. But she was in quite a bit of trouble only a couple months ago, and she understands why they'd worry.

If they knew it was Castle she's dating, they'd be a lot less worried.

"Trust me, Espo. I'm in good hands," she tells him, hoping to make sure he understands that she's in anything but danger with her boyfriend.

He nods and presses the elevator call button for her, both he and Ryan moving so she can walk into the car when the doors open.

"Thanks," she says, stepping into it, glad to finally get her weekend off started.

As the doors close in front of her, she hears Espo whisper to Ryan:

"We're so going to figure out who this guy is."

"Don't you dare!" she practically shouts at them as the elevator begins it's descent.

She doesn't really care anymore, though, as she rounds the corner to find her boyfriend, as ruggedly handsome as always, standing there. She walks into his open arms, presses a kiss to his lips, soft and sweet, and everything that the kisses they'll share in the privacy of his Hamptons home won't be.


	12. prompt 12: make the bed (or try to)

**Prompt from Clarkson124 here on fanfiction: Beckett and Castle make the bed. (This turned out more as a 'they attempt to make the bed' though).**

* * *

"Rick, can you pass me that pillow?" she calls, hearing his footsteps as we walks back into the master bedroom.

"Are you really making the bed, Kate?" he asks.

She fights the urge to turn and look at him, knowing that he's either wearing nothing for just a pair of boxers or a robe or something like that, that will make her want to jump him all over again.

And she can't do that. They're already on day three of their honeymoon and they haven't left the room _once._

"Yes, Rick," she answers, a little more venom seeping into her voice than she had originally planned. When she hears him scoff in response, she quickly turns to look him in the eyes, hands flying to her hips. "We need to do more than have _sex, _Castle," she manages to say, despite the fact that she's already regretting turning to face him.

She was right. He's wearing nothing but his robe. He's cleanly shaven now—that's why she had been in the bedroom alone in the first place, because she told him she had to shave. His hair is still slightly wet from the shower they had taken together. His robe was tied loosely, leaving his broad chest practically bare for her eyes to ogle. The knot, holding the separate sides of the robe together, was tied low on his abdomen, the material barely covering...

"See something you like, Kate?" his voice breaks her thoughts. Her eyes snap up to his, a blush coming across her cheeks. "And this is why we've stayed in this room having sex since we got here," he teases.

She rolls her eyes. "I remember you being a willing participate, and _initiator,_" she teases back, reaching down to grab the pillow herself, since he never did hand it to her.

She feels his eyes on her behind as she leans over to place it on what was her side of the bed, even though she had only laid on it once or twice after...

No, Kate, she admonishes herself. She can't let her mind go there..._again._

But then he's standing behind her, right behind her. And he robe in thin and short and his is barely covering-

"Rick," she tries, using the same voice she uses when he's misbehaving at the precinct, but her argument falls of deaf ears.

She stands back up, pressing her back to his chest in the process. She can feel all of him against her, and her breathing is already quickening and this proves he's wrong. _This _is why they've stayed in this room going at it like bunnies for the past three days.

"So, Kate? Why do we have to go out?" he asks, whispering to her, his voice hot against the shell of her ear, sending shivers down her spine and making ehr knees go weak.

"Be...Because if that's what we wanted to do we could of stay-" Her sentence is cut off by a gasp as his fingers begin working at the knot of her robe and his lips are hot against her pulse point.

Yeah, there's no way they're leaving now.

But she can at least try to fight this, right?

"Rick, can we please make the bed and do something? We can finish this _later,_" she tries, but the breathy tone of her voice makes her argument lose all viability.

"We can do _something__,_" he tells her suggestively, whispering against the sensitive skin of her neck.

"Something else, Castle," she manages to spit out, the use of his last name making her wonder why she's been using his first name all this time. Must be a married thing, she decides.

Besides, she's a Castle now, too. Well, a Beckett-Castle, but that's just a minor detail.

And this is totally not helping her case about _leaving _the room and going out to do something touristy.

"Like what, Kate?" he asks, and suddenly his voice is less low and husky and he sounds genuinely curious.

And, oh God, now he has her all hot and bothered and he's just standing behind her like he didn't just try to seduce her. So she takes a moment to gather herself, takes a few deep breaths before turning in his arms to meet his eyes. The blue orbs she had fallen in love with long ago, longer than even he knows, are fills with love and it takes her breath away.

"What do you want to do, Kate? This is your honeymoon. I want you to have fun, outside of the bedroom," he waggles his eyebrows as he finishes, playful as always. But the beginning of his question was dead serious.

"First of all, it's _our _honeymoon, Rick. So, if I want to do something that you don't want to do, you can say no, okay?" she tells him.

He nods. "What do you want to do, Kate?"

She smiles up at him. "I want to go see the elephants," she tells him honestly, letting her eyes lock on his.

"Than we'll go see the elephants, as soon as we make the bed," he tells her, leaning down to press a soft kiss to her lips, his hands cupping her cheeks as hers thread into the short hair at his nape.

When they separate, he rests his forehead against hers, smiling down at her. She smiles back—smirks, really.

"What?" he asks, knowing her too well, recognizing the glint shining in her eyes.

She pulls him down for another kiss, letting her tongue battle with his in a dance so familiar yet seemingly so new at the same time.

"The elephants will still be there later, right?" she asks, knowing he'll catch her meaning. When it comes to sex, he always does.

He nods slowly, as if confused.

"Then maybe we don't have to go out..._right now_?" she suggests, letting her hands in his hair bring his face a little closer to hers again. He captures her lip in a long, slow kiss.

"But you already made the bed," he teases, motioning towards it with his head.

She raises her eyebrows playfully, suggestively. "We could use something other than the bed."

In an instant, he has her pinned against the wall.


	13. prompt 13: mother vs mom

**Prompt from Clarkson124 here on fanfiction: Beckett and Alexis stand up to Meredith about how Kate has always been there for Alexis, just like a mom should, while Meredith has never really been a part of Alexis' life and has no idea what's been going on the past few years.**

* * *

Because she should of known that having the ex-wife in town the week before the wedding was a bad idea, and should of stopped it from happening.

But silly her, so caught up in her own little world of wedding planning and _enjoying _the last weeks of engagement, hadn't even thought twice about Meredith coming to town, until it was too late.

So, she sat at Remy's, her soon to be step-daughter across from her, next to her mother as they talk about _her _wedding, without even including her in the conversation.

Well, she couldn't say that. Alexis was trying, and Meredith wouldn't shut up long enough for the girl to get two words in.

"For our wedding, Rick let me have whatever I wanted," was the first thing she had said once the wedding talk had started. "It was so beautiful, Kate, like a ball from a movie."

Of course, she had gone on to ask Kate what her wedding would be like, what style they were going for. Kate's answer of 'understated and intimate' had not been what Meredith had expected, though. Or at least not what she had wanted to hear. It ended up bringing on what was either simple statements of differences between the two women or insults. Even being the detective she was, she couldn't figure it out.

The apologetic glances Alexis kept sending her way, though, made her believe the comments were, in fact, meant to be insults.

"You know, Mom, I think you and Kate are just very different style-wise," she pointed out at one point, making Kate smile and Meredith pause in her description of her own wedding to Rick.

Kate wondered if the woman—as crazy as she was—realized that no bride-to-be wanted to hear about her groom's extravagant, romantic, gala-like wedding to his ex-wife.

Not that she was jealous. Nope. Meredith was his _ex_-wife for a reason—an extremely obvious reason, too.

"Mom, why don't we let Kate tell us about her wedding? It's next week, you know?" Alexis' voice cuts through her thoughts. Part of her feels bad for thinking such things about the girl's mother, but she quickly realizes that, besides her looks, Alexis is nothing like Meredith.

"Oh, yes," said Meredith, as if she was just being told for the first time that there was exactly seven days before she and Rick tied the knot. "You most be excited, Kate."

"Very," said Kate, simply, to the point. She'd never be comfortable around Meredith, no matter what. She wasn't about to spill details about how much a a giddy bride she was turning out to be, much to her surprise.

"Oh, Mom, it's going to be the most beautiful wedding. Everyone's so excited," said Alexis, hyping up the event much more than Kate had.

"It seems so. You seem very excited, too, Alexis," pointed out Meredith, her sentence holding a hint of a question.

Kate couldn't help but wonder why it was a question that Alexis was excited about her father's wedding. Of course, they hadn't always had the best relationship, but she thought they were over that.

"I am, Mom. Dad's really happy. And he's never been with someone that treats me like Kate does," the young woman stated, sounding proud of her father and soon-to-be step-mother.

Kate instantly felt her nerves dissipate as she realized it was simply Meredith being Meredith, and that her question had nothing to do with how Alexis felt about her and the wedding.

And then she realized that Meredith's eyes had widened, as had Alexis', and that all the people Castle had been with included Meredith, that Alexis' statement could be including her own mother.

"Surely you mean she treats you better than Gina did," says the older red-head, though her eyes held worry.

"No. I mean anyone, Mom. Kate treats me like she really cares about me, but not like I'm some little kid who's getting a new mom, you know? She's like a friend to me. And she really cares about my feelings in regards to all this," says Alexis, smiling up at her mother.

Kate thought the smile looked fake, and quickly realized it was.

Alexis was right about her, though. Had Alexis been against her and Castle getting married, or even simply being together, she would of backed off. His daughter always came first, no matter what. And apparently, Alexis knew that, too.

"She makes sure that all of this is okay with me, even left work to talk to me about it, once. She helped me with a case very dear to my heart," said Alexis, noticing the way her mother's brow furrowed. Meredith still didn't know about that case where they saved an innocent man from the death penalty.

But Kate did.

"And I feel like I can call her, no matter what, and she'd be there for me," she continued.

The 'unlike you' hung in the air between the three women.

"And she's given dad advice on how to raise me. She's given me advice personally. Kate's a really great person, Mom," she finished, looking over at Kate and smiling as she did so.

Kate couldn't help but smile back. Alexis was going to be her step-daughter in a week, after all.

"Alexis, dear, you know I'd do all those things for you, too, don't you?" asked Meredith, her voice oozing a fakeness that rubbed Kate the wrong way.

Of course Alexis didn't know that, or she's be calling Meredith in the first place.

"Not like Kate does, though. Ever since I was little, Mom, your work came first. But Kate's job is so much more important, and she'd still leave to help me if I needed her," said Alexis.

The look on Meredith's face almost made Kate laugh, the shock mixed with jealousy.

The look on Alexis' almost broke her heart, the pain of finally saying these things out loud, of finally admitting her true feelings to her mother.

"You know, Meredith, there's a difference between being a mother and being a mom," said Kate, finally putting her two cents into a conversation that ultimately revolved around her.

"And you're neither one," spat the woman in return, like a spiteful teenager.

Kate just shrugged, unfazed. "No, I'm not. I'm her friend," she agreed, happy to be able to call herself that. "But, apparently, you're not the one that matters, either."

Alexis looked over at her, and for a moment Kate wondered if she had stepped to far. But the girl's small nod reassured her, and she smiled rather smugly at the other woman, hoping Meredith finally understood how Alexis really felt.

"Of course I am, aren't I, Alexis?" Meredith asked her daughter.

"No, Mom. Kate's been here for me more than you have for the past five years, and that's the entire time she's known me," said Alexis, her voice holding a pain that Kate was glad she never went through.

"But-"

"No, Meredith, you haven't been here for her. Last time I saw you, you used the fact that she was sick to check in on my relationship with Rick," said Kate, watching the woman finally back off.

She had to admit, she was glad to have finally put the crazy woman in her place, even if it wasn't her job to do so.

The look in Alexis' eyes, though, told her she had done the right thing.

She wouldn't of wanted that conversation to last much longer either, if she was in Alexis' place.


	14. prompt 14: one of our own

**Prompt from a guest here on fanfiction: Kate and Rick babysitting Sarah Grace after they are married (but Sarah Grace still being a baby) and Kate realizing she wants a baby.**

* * *

She smiles as she watched Rick and Sarah Grace laying on the loft's living room floor, face to face, each on their stomachs.

At eight months old, Sarah Grace is a beautiful, happy baby, who smiles, laughs, babbles and crawls.

And, lucky for Kate and Rick, sleeps through the night.

So now, a happily smiling baby girl lays on her tummy, facing her uncle Rick, reaching out to grab his nose and ears.

The first time, Rick had joked that she was just like her auntie Kate, always going for the ears. Kate herself had laughed, looking on from where she sat on the couch, her thoughts running wild.

She's seen Rick with a baby twice, this being the second time. The first time being during that case months ago, with Cosmo—well, Benny.

He had been amazing the first time. She hadn't, even though he told her she had been. She had been scared half to death of hurting the precious little boy, of upsetting him, of doing something wrong. He seemed—was—so fragile, and she had been scared she'd break him.

But, as much as it scared her, it allowed her to see a different side to Rick. She had witnessed him with Alexis, but Alexis was a teenager—and a very self-sufficient one at that. If they were to have a baby, it would be exactly that. A baby. Their baby.

And seeing him with Cosmo that time had made her realize that she would be able to be a mother—a good mother, hopefully—if she had him by her side. That if it was to happen, if she was to end up pregnant, they would be able to do it, to raise a child together.

But now, it's different with Sarah Grace.

She loves the little girl laying on her tummy in her living room, her not-biological niece. But really, did biology matter that much?

This time, she's married to the man laying on the floor, amusing the baby, making her happy and laugh and attempt to lunge at him.

And this time, she gets to see him in a new light, in a way.

That's her _husband_, and he's taking care of Sarah Grace like it's the most natural thing in the world.

When Ryan and Jenny first asked them to babysit for the weekend, while they went to attend a funeral across the country, she had been hesitant. Yes, Cosmo had left their place alive and seemingly happy, but Sarah Grace is older than he was. She can do more. She moves around and reaches for things and opens cupboards and that arises a whole new set of issues. So yeah, she had been scared that Sarah Grace would go home with bumps and bruise and God forbid cuts or burns.

But then Rick goes and shows her how _amazing _he is all over again. He even went out and bought child safety locks for in the kitchen, a few new toys for Sarah Grace, baby food and so much other stuff that she lost track.

But she was reminded of how much of an amazing father he is, will one day be to their baby.

And now, as she watches him play and laugh along with their niece, she feels her heart swell with not only a love for the man laying on the floor and not really caring, but with a longing to see that again.

But next time, she doesn't want it to be Sarah Grace laying on their floor. No, she wants it to be her baby, _their _baby.

Next time, she wants the giggles she hears ringing through the room to be their child's.

She wants to have a baby.

The realization hits her like a ton of bricks, shocking her to the point where the air almost leaves her chest. Because she'd always assumed they'd have a baby. It was like a fact. During that case with Cosmo, it hadn't been an 'if we have one of our own' but a 'when we have one of our one'.

But now, now she realizes how much she _wants _one. It's always been a 'when'. But now, she wants it to be now. She wants to be pregnant with his baby. She wants to have an ultrasound done and to hear her baby's heartbeat. She wants her belly to be swollen, evidence of their love, of the life they created. She wants to feel her baby move inside her. She wants him to talk to their baby, sit next to her in bed and tell their unborn child stories, like she knows he will. She wants him to hold her hand when she's in labor. And more than anything, she wants to hold their child in her arms and keep him or her safe, and have their baby know that he or she is happy and loved.

She doesn't realize she's crying or that her breathing is shallow until he looks up at her from the ground, Sarah Grace whining as his earlobe rips from between her little fingers.

"You okay, Kate?" he asks, voice soft and filled with worry.

She nods frantically, needing him to know how really okay she is. "I want one, Rick," she blurts out, making his eyes practically bulge out of his head.

He nods slowly, shifts into a sitting position, grabs Sarah Grace and moves so all three of them are sitting on the couch, the baby girl sitting on his thigh closest to her.

"Kate?" he asks softly.

She looks up at meet his eyes. "I want this, babe. I want us to have a baby," she tells him, tears building in the corners of her eyes.

His free hand moves up to cup her cheek, wiping a stray tear that had fallen from her eye with the pad of his thumb.

"I want us try for a baby, Rick. I want to have our baby."

"Are you sure, Kate?" he asks her, his hand soft against her skin, soothing and sweet and she's pretty sure she's never been more sure of anything in her life.

"Yes. Yes, babe. I want us to have one of our own. I want us to have a baby together," she promises, taking his hand in hers and pressing a kiss to his palm.

He smiles at her, leans over to carefully set Sarah Grace on the ground. The way he has the house set up, it would be hard for her to get out of that part of the living room, and all her toys were there for her anyway.

Without the baby on his lap, his other hand reaches out to rest on her other cheek and he pulls her in for a long, slow kiss. She places her hands on his cheeks, too, holding his mouth against hers in a sensual dance full of love. When they separate, he rests his forehead against hers.

"You really want a baby, Kate? You're absolutely sure?"

She shifts her gaze quickly to look at the little girl sitting on the ground, hitting a rattle against the ground and laughing, before looking back into the blue eyes of her husband.

"Yes, babe. I'm absolutely sure. I want us to have a baby," she promises, her thumbs rubbing small circles against his cheeks. "I want to have our baby."

He smiles, pressing another, shorter kiss to her lips. "Then we'll have a baby, Kate."

"Thanks, Rick. I love you, so much," she whispers to him, leaning in to kiss him again, falling in love with him all over again.

It's Sarah Grace's squeal that stops them from beginning their baby making efforts right there on his couch. They pull away from each other laughing, overjoyed by the knowledge that someday soon, she'll be carrying their little baby.


	15. prompt 15: life board

**Prompt from BurningxRedxCaskett here on fanfiction: they get home from their honeymoon (a month or two after) she finds finds out she's pregnant and plans a cute surprise way to tell Rick.**

* * *

She's never been this excited to be putting pictures and a timeline up on a whiteboard.

Then again, she's only ever done this when investigating a murder. And this isn't a murder. This isn't death.

This is a life board. This is the story of their baby.

She found out a few days ago, all the pieces fitting together forming the most beautiful white stick she'd ever seen—a positive pregnancy test. And that had made the nausea, the fatigue, the swollen breasts and finally the missed period make sense. Everything had added up so suddenly that it was overwhelming, the love she felt for a baby that was the size of a pea, the joy, the love for the man who gave her their child.

And right away, she realized she needed to find some cool way to tell him. Rick was an over the top type of guy who's seen a lot of amazing things, but she wanted to make sure that this one was one he'd never forget.

So she had come up with a plan:

_Step 1: Get the conformation from the OB._

_Step 2: Have the dating ultrasound done (make sure to get the picture)._

_Step 3: Get a whiteboard and other supplies (make sure Rick doesn't see anything)._

_Step 4: Make timeline._

She's now at step four.

The whiteboard is in their living room, tall and obvious and waiting to be turned into the life board, their baby's life board. Rick is still at the precinct, helping the boys with a very Castle-flavored case. It's the perfect way to keep him out of the loft while she's busy preparing his surprise, and hopefully enough to keep him from worrying about the cause of her absence.

She starts off by picking up the black dry erase marker and tracing a timeline, like they usually do back at the precinct, and begins marking certain dates in red:

_May 12th 2014, the wedding_ (She still gets giddy when she thinks about it.)

_May 13th - May 27th, the conception period_ (They had been going at it like rabbits the entire honeymoon, not bothering being careful.)

_May 15th, estimated date of conception _(At least, that's what the doctor said.)

_May 30th, first missed period_ (How had she not noticed?)

_June 4th - present, nausea and fatigue _(It's a pain in the butt at the precinct, especially in the morgue.)

_June 27th, second missed period _(That time, she noticed.)

_June 29th, positive home pregnancy test _(She's pretty sure she cried.)

_June 30th, blood work from OB _(Thank goodness Dr. Jones is fast.)

_July 1st, dating scan _(Being Richard Castle's wife does have it's perks.)

_July 3rd,_ _tell Rick _(You know, before he tries to get you drunk tomorrow. He'll be so happy.)

_July 3rd, 7 weeks pregnant _(Seven, already? Today? Wow!)

_August 9th, 12 weeks (and one day) scan _(Yay!)

_February 5th 2015, due date _(Oh. My. God. 33 weeks from now!)

She almost jumps up and down as she takes in the timeline she's written out. She had never imagined herself being this type of mother, of pregnant woman. She tends o surprise herself, apparently, because she was like this as a bride-to-be, too.

But time timeline...it makes everything so much more real. She's pregnant! She's seven weeks pregnant. She's been carrying their child for a whole seven weeks. And in about 33 weeks, she'll give birth, and she'll be a mother to a beautiful baby boy or girl.

She smiles happily, giddily, as she reaches for some of the pictures she'd had developed for her plan.

The first one, which she places in the top corner of the murder board, is one of the two of them on their wedding day, chests pressed together, lips fused, her in a white gown and him in a tux. It's her favorite from the wedding, because it's a candid shot of them on the dance floor during their first dance.

Below that and the timeline, she puts two other pictures.

One is of her, another candid shot that Rick took of her at the beach in Thailand. She's wearing her bikini, red and revealing just for her husband, and standing waist deep in the water, laughing. She loves it. It's so hard to find pictures of her so free and easy-going, and this one is by far her favorite. Underneath it, she prints in blue marker: _Katherine Houghton Beckett-Castle, mother._ And the she almost cries, because she's a _mother. _

The other picture is one of Rick. She snapped that one of him early in the morning, also on their honeymoon. His hair is mussed with sleep, his eyes slightly clouded with fatigue that had lingered in them. But that's one of the ways she likes him most. He begged her to delete it, but she refused, even made it his contact picture on her phone. Underneath it, she writes: _Richard Edgar Castle, father. _And then she's almost crying again, because they're having a _baby._

With that thought, she reaches over for an evidence bag she burrowed from Lanie and slips the positive home pregnancy test into it, making sure that the plus sign is facing her. She places that on the board as well, just below the timeline, across from their pictures. It's the evidence that she is, in fact, carrying their little baby.

And finally, she places the picture from her scan only two days ago on the board, the black and white image of their child, baby's first picture. She rolls her eyes at how cheesy that sounds, but decides she'll never get rid of the picture, ever. With a smile on her face, one she doubts will go away until she wakes up the next morning throwing up, she takes the cap off the green marker. Underneath the picture, she writes clearly: _Baby boy/girl Castle._

And then she stands back to admire her work, her life board, and smiles even wider. Rick is going to love it.

It's about fifteen minutes later that he arrives. She's turned the board around so he can't see what's on it. She wants to show him. She wants to explain as he realizes that she's pregnant, that they're having a baby.

That, and she wants to kiss him hello.

He's obviously confused as she stands up to meet him in the doorway, takes his jacket for him and presses her lips to his. She knows it's odd, out of character, but she feels extremely affectionate. She's having his baby, for goodness' sake.

He kicks off his shoes and reaches for her hand, stilling her movements. She smiles up at him, but silences his questions with a soft kiss his lips and a whispered 'you'll see'. And then she kisses him again.

Without saying another word, she leads him towards the board, stops him just short of it.

"I want to show you something," she whispers to him, punctuating her sentence with another soft press of her lips to his. She gets a slow, confused nod in response. So she presses another kiss to his lips, for reassurance.

A smile still on her face, she walks around the board and turns it so he can see everything that's on it, the story, the evidence, all together to tell the short story of their baby's life so far.

She sees the way his face flood with sudden recognition, as he reaches out to run his fingers over the jellybean shaped baby she keeps safe within her. His eyes swiped over the timeline, and he smiles as he examines the pictures of them. He murmurs her due date, like a quiet prayer. And finally he reaches out to her, takes her hand in his and pulls her into his arms.

"You're pregnant?" he whispers into her hair, as if the evidence didn't speak for itself.

She pulls herself out of his grasp slightly, looking up and locking eyes with him. The love in his is overwhelming, and she has a feeling it mirrors the love in hers.

"I'm pregnant," she confirms, smiling up at him with suddenly watery eyes.

His hands move up to cup her cheeks as hers wrap around his neck, their lips meeting in a long, slow and sensual kiss. When he pulls away, he pulls her back against him tightly, her head turning to look at the life board she created. He rested his chin on the top of her head as she curled into his body comfortably, their child safe between them.

"Can we keep it?" he asks softly, taking in the small details he missed the first time. "Continue this throughout your pregnancy?" he adds, imagining a few more ultrasound images they'd have, the day where they first felt their baby move, or when he told their baby his or her first story. "Maybe we can put it in the nursery."

She smiles against him, glad that his train of thoughts is so similar to what hers had been when she first came up with the idea.

"And one day, we'll change it from 'Baby boy/girl Castle' to his or her actual name," he continues, smiling as she nods against his chest.

"Of course, babe," she whispers. She pulls away slightly again, making him look down at her. He smiles at her and leans down to press his lips to hers again, swallowing her whisper, whispering himself when they separate:

"What do you call this thing, anyway?"

She smiles up at him answering softly: "A life board."


	16. prompt 16: wake me up

**Prompt from a guest here on fanfiction: Castle and Beckett woke up for the first time in each other's arms.**

* * *

The first thing he's aware of when he wakes up is the weight against his side, the warmth radiating off the mass and warming his skin.

The second thing he's aware of is the fact that said mass is a person, a woman, a naked woman. It makes him smile despite his half-asleep haze.

The third thing he's aware of is the fact that said naked woman is his girlfriend—he still can't get over being able to call her that—Detective Kate Beckett.

He smiles even more at that, pulling her closer, pressing her chest harder into his side.

Three nights they've spent together, and this is the first morning where he wakes up with her in his arms.

The first time, he had woken up from what he thought for a short, panicked moment, was the best dream of his life. Only to find it hadn't been a dream, that Kate was his, and she _wanted _him, more than anything. Not to mention that she was giving up her _mother's _case to be with him, because he was all she wanted.

Yeah, even waking up alone, that had to be one of the best mornings of his life...and then his mother had to walk in.

The second night he had slept at her place because he was worried about her, because there was a killer on the loose looking for her, planning to kill her. He had told her there was no way in hell that he was leaving her there alone—reminding even himself of that time almost three years ago where he stayed at her because a serial killer was after her.

The next morning, he had woken up alone, too. But that time, she hadn't padded into the room with two cups of steaming coffee, wearing nothing but his shirt, and with a smile on her face. He had been scared half to death, wondering if maybe, just maybe, whoever Bracken might of sent had gotten to her. And then he was scared as he realized she might of been gone to _commit _murder.

Yeah, that morning had been anything but fun...just really, really scary.

But, this morning he woke up with her against him, sleeping soundly after a _busy_ night. This morning, her legs are intertwined with his, her toes running up and down his calf even as she sleeps. This morning, her hair tickles his chest, mussed from the events of last night. This morning, her breathing is even and makes her chest press a little more against his.

This morning, she's in his arms, sleeping, peaceful and vulnerable and he can't help but truly treasure this moment.

Few people ever get to see the vulnerable side of Katherine Beckett, and he counts himself lucky to be one.

Now fully awake, he lets his fingertips dance against the soft skin of her side, letting them drift from her hip to right below her breast. She sighed softly in her sleep, pressing herself against him even more. He smiles and turns his head to press a kiss to her head, breathing in the cherry scent of her shampoo, still lingering in her hair.

"Mmmm... I could get used to this," she mumbles suddenly, her voice soft and slightly slurred with sleep.

It surprises him slightly, since he thought she was still asleep, but he quickly recovers.

"Me too," he whispers, pressing another kiss to the top of her head. "I've been wanting to do this for four years."

She nods against his chest. "I know," she says simply, pressing a kiss to his chest. It makes him wonder if she's been waiting long for this, too. "You make a good pillow."

"Thanks?" he asks, chuckling softly, realizing that she would never say such things if she was wide awake—then again, he had never known happy, in a relationship, just waking up after a night of amazing sex Kate. She nods against his head in response. "You make a good blanket," he jokes.

She slaps his chest playfully, laughing along with him.

It's strange, he realizes, how natural this is. He's woken up with a woman in his arms countless times, but usually the first time, it's relatively awkward, silent, a rush to get some clothes on, or a rush to continue the events of the previous evening. Either way, it was never like this. It had never been joking and laughing and half-asleep confessions of wanting this again.

But with Kate, that's exactly what it is. It's jokes about being pillows and blankets—and good ones, too—and kisses to her head, smiles and laughs and everything all the other times never were.

It isn't about sex, but about living on a level of intimacy that comes not with sex, but with a slowly budding relationship. He remembers, at first, being worried that sex was all it would be, that that's all it was for her. But this, more than any words ever could, proves to him that this is a relationship, the beginning of a lifetime together.

"Penny for your thoughts?" her soft voice breaks his thoughts.

He looks down to find her looking up at him, eyes filled with curiosity, happiness and love. He smiles down at her briefly before pressing his lips to hers in a soft slow kiss. When they separate, she rests her head back on his chest, waiting for the answer he joyfully gives.

"I could definitely get used to this."


	17. prompt 17: from end to beginning

**Prompt from BurningxRedxCaskett here on fanfiction: taking it back to 4x23, Kate's thoughts after she resigns, up to the point where she leads Castle to his room, and the first words once the door is closed.**

* * *

"Keep it," I tell my Captain, setting my gun and badge on Gates' desk. "I resign."

It's not easy, giving up my job. I really can't believe I did it, even as I step out of the precinct and into the pouring rain. It feels fitting, standing in the pouring rain after the week I've had, after the day I've had. It's dark and somber outside, stormy. That has to be the best way to explain what I feel like, too, dark and somber and my emotions a storm that sweeps me up and makes me do things I would never do otherwise.

Like quit my job, the job I worked so hard for, the job I did so well. Just like that, I sat the badge on the desk and told her to keep it, because I wouldn't be back for it. I'm not so sure that was right of me to do, though. Because part of me already wants to run right back into the precinct and ask to have my job back.

I really can't believe I _quit. _Kate Beckett doesn't quit.

Well, she doesn't usually. But there is this one man that has a tendency of making her do things she normally wouldn't, of making me do things I normally wouldn't.

_Castle..._

Oh God, I really messed this up, I realize as I take another step in the pouring rain. I should hail a cab. I know I should. But walking is helping me clear my mind, and the rain against my face, already soaking through my clothes is almost refreshing, cleansing. It's taking the weight of the world with it, running down my body until it reaches the sidewalk and frees me of it's mass, of the struggle that comes with it.

I continue to walk, picking up pace. I don't know where I'm going, where I want to go, where I want to be. Well, I know where I want to be, but I really shouldn't just show up at his loft and beg for forgiveness. I shouldn't. I really, really shouldn't.

So I don't.

Next thing I know I'm standing in the park I've been to multiple times. But right now only one instant runs through my mind, the time I met him here to tell him about the walls that I had up in front of my face.

Now, though, I'm pretty sure those walls are rubble.

I take a seat on one of the swings, my swing, not bothering to wipe the wetness off the seat. I'm already soaked anyway. My eyes drift to his swing, even though I know it'll be empty. He's mad at me. He practically hates me. We had something great, and I threw it away.

I seem to be good at that.

I had a great job. A great job that I was great at. And then I go and get blinded by my desperation to find my mother's killer and I had to go and mess that up. I had to go and chase a dangerous man just for the satisfaction of putting him in jail. I had to go and almost get myself killed. And then, just to save my pride I had to quit. Yeah, the fact that I am now jobless is completely my fault.

With my drenched sleeve, I try to wipe my wet face, tears mingling with raindrops, differentiating them becoming impossible.

I had a great guy. A great guy who loved me, who I loved. And then I had to go and get mad, and not see reason, and scream at him, again. He had been trying to keep me safe, _alive, _and I got mad. I lost my temper, lost all sense of reason and screamed and let him kick me out of his life, glad that he did because then I'd have nothing to lose if I went and got killed, and he wouldn't be nearly as hurt. But I'm alive, and he's mad and I don't think I can fix it this time.

Even though I love him, too. Even though I need him, more than any sniper or killer.

Once again, I find myself looking at his swing, wishing he was here with me, but he's not. He's at his loft, alone, the promise of a movie marathon forgotten, the promise of a future together now more of a straw to be grasped at.

But now my walls are rubble at my feet and it's all because of him, and I want to resent him for getting through them, but I can't. I love him. I need him. And now I might of lost him.

But I won't give his up without a fight.

Mind made up, I push myself up from the swing, the heels of my shoes sinking into the muddy grass. I need to get to him, need to apologize for throwing away something that could of been great, that would of been great, had I not been stupid. I need to get him to understand. I need to apologize. I will beg if I have to, but I will do anything to get his back.

I get to the street and hail a cab, offer to pay double since I'm soaking wet. I don't really care what I have to do to get there, I just need my writer back. The cab driver accepts my offer and I hop in, telling him Castle's address before turning to watch the raindrops hit the window.

The moment the car stops, I throw a bundle of cash at him, all the cash I had in my pocket. He accepts and I hop out of the cab, running into Castle's building, needing to get him back. The doorman smiles at me as I walk by and head directly for the elevator, thankful for the short weight time.

The whole elevator ride, I watch the numbers switch as we move by each floor, like the countdown to the moment I'm face to face with him again. I'm impatient. I need to see him. I know I love him and I know I need to work fast to get him back. The longer I weight, the less likely he is to forgive me. And I need him to forgive me, to let me love him, to let me show him how truly sorry I am.

I call him from the elevator, hurt but not surprised when he ignores the call. I feel a few more tears sting at my eyes as the doors open and I walk into the hallway, his door only feet away.

When I knock on his door it's loud and powerful, meant to get his attention, to make him answer, which he does. It's a relief to see him, even though the anger that shines in his eyes, that taints his voice and turns what could be a harmless question a painful thing to hear. _"Beckett, what do you want?"_

"You," I answer honestly. At this point, the truth is all that will keep him from throwing me out. Saying and doing the first thing that comes to mind is the only way I'll make this okay. So I do exactly that, reach for his face and press my lips to his. I can't describe the feeling that washes over me when he responds, lips moving against mine for a short moment before he pushes me away.

I answer all his questions honestly, tell him that Maddox got away and I didn't care, that I almost died and all I could think about was him, apologies tumbling from my lips, begging for his forgiveness. And once again I'm leaning into him, needing to feel his lips against mine again, but it's tentative and I want him to want this, too. So, with my lips only inches from his, I raise my hand to gently run it over his mouth, feeling the wetness of his lips against my still wet fingertips.

And just as lightning strikes, a clash sounding loudly throughout the loft, throughout the city, something within him snaps and he shuts the door with me, pressing me to it hard, his lips finding mine.

The kisses are hot, wet and frantic, needy and passionate, years of foreplay pouring into the dance are lips perform effortlessly. My hands are everywhere, his back, his head, his cheeks, his hair, digging into his sinewy shoulders, threading into the short hairs at his nape. His hand are everywhere, too, on my hips, around my waist, on my arms, unbuttoning my shirt already.

He needs me as much as I need him.

His lips trail down my neck—my wet shirt hanging open—to the valley of my breasts, his fingers running over the scar that sits there, the visual evidence of my shooting, of the first time he told me he loved me. My head falls back against the door, emotion threatening to overwhelm as I feel his gaze on the bumpy flesh.

But I don't want this moment to be tainted by the somber memory of that day. I want this to be good, happy, the start of something amazing. So my one hand moves to take his that's still fingering her scar, pressing his palm firmly against the spot that intrigues him, that reminds them both of a bad day turned horrible. My other hand cups his cheek and pulls his face back to mine, making our lips meet in a softer, more gentle kiss that seals everything, that heals everything.

When we separate, we're both smiling, knowing that this is the beginning of a relationship together, of a lifetime together, even though this is really our first real kiss. I smile at him, and he smiles slightly in return, waiting for the consent I give as I intertwine our fingers and lead him off to his bedroom.

I can't help but marvel in the fact that he's seemingly forgiven me, or is at least starting to. The explanations can wait, though. Right now, I need him. I need him to know how much I love him.

So, as the door closes behind us, I try to tell him, but the words are caught in my throat, unable to escape around the ball that's built there.

He kisses me again, lips soft and sweet and everything they weren't back against the door. When he pulls away, he rests his forehead against mine.

"I know," he whispers to me, the words I can't yet say obviously understood. I smile at him, thankful for his understanding.

From there, there's no need for words. Our lips meet again, soft and sweet and the perfect beginning to what will surely be great, everything my dreams weren't, everything this moment should be.


	18. prompt 18: story of your life

**Prompt from a guest here on fanfiction: could you continue prompt 15: life board?**

* * *

The first thing they added to the board after she announced her pregnancy to Castle was a picture of her that he insisted on taking. It was her, the living room wall as the background, her shirt bumped up to reveal her barely rounded stomach, her baby bump too small to be noticeable. He had told her it was her first baby bump picture and—after she told him there was no way she was taking a new one every week—told her they'd take one at the monumental stages of her pregnancy. She agreed. She kinda liked the idea of seeing the way her body changed to accommodate their child, even though she'd never admit that to her husband.

The second thing they added to the board was the nickname they would be using for their baby until he or she was born—unless she changed her mind and they decided to find out the baby's gender. In quotation marks, underneath '_Baby boy/girl Castle_', she had written none other that 'Cosmo'—still not believing that she had given him permission to call their child that, even if it was only until he or she was born. Besides, it hadn't felt right to keep calling the baby 'it', and she hadn't come up with anything better. That, and the hormonal, emotional side of her found it kind of fitting that their first child would be given the same nickname as the baby that made her realize how much she _wanted _to have a baby with Castle. (No, she hadn't cried at that)._  
_

The third thing they added to the life board was the picture from her twelve week sonogram. The first few weeks since she announced her pregnancy had been rather uneventful, no announcements, no major milestones. Really, besides Beckett letting other be first through the door, taking a backseat on the field for the first time since since she joined the force, nothing had changed. Well, that and the morning sickness which had only gotten worse—but she had been told was told usually got better from the beginning of the second trimester out—the increased fatigue and her non-existent caffeine intake. So, for the first time in a few weeks, she placed something new on Cosmo's life board, baby's second picture, and the first time she and Castle had heard their child's steady heart beat, evidence of the life within her. (Yes, she cried at that. Even Kate Beckett will admit that).

The fourth, fifth and sixth things added to the board were the dates when they told the various people in their lives. _August 10th, told Martha, Alexis, Jim and Johanna. _(Yes, she had most definitely cried when she told her mother that she was pregnant, kneeling on the ground of the cemetery, facing her gravestone. She cried again that night, too, with Castle's arms around her and telling her she'd be able to do it even without her mother there with her). _August 11th, told Lanie, the boys and Gates. _That had been fun, getting great reactions from their closest friends (even Gates had been happy for them). _August 11th, start of desk duty. _(Oh God, she was going to go crazy by the beginning of her second trimester).

The seventh thing added to the board is the day that baby Cosmo receives his or her first gift from Alexis. _August 14th, baby's first gift from Alexis. _It was one afternoon when Alexis had showed up suddenly at the loft, holding a bag in her hand with a giddy smile on her face. Kate had welcomed her step-daughter into the loft, sitting up and setting the book she had been reading aside. They had engaged in small talk about the baby, of course—it seemed to be the most common topic of conversation since they announced that they were expecting. And then Alexis had pulled a small onesie out of her shopping back, white with _NYPD, New York City Police Dept. _printed across the front, a badge identical to her own on it as well. Tears had pricked at her eyes, making her curse her pregnancy hormones in between the thank yous she muttered to Alexis, for the gift. It wasn't until after the young woman left that she went to write it on the board.

The eighth thing added to Cosmo's life board was another picture, one of her, again. It was another one of her standing in their living room, shirt raised above her stomach again. The slight bulge that had developed low on her abdomen marked the beginning of her second trimester, but was still small enough that most people had no idea she was pregnant. She had loved it that way. It was like a secret between her and Castle, the small change that showed that their baby was inside her, growing. She loved it so much that she'd purposefully wear tight tank tops to bed just so they could enjoy the small bulge together, alone and in private. She knew he loved it, too. (And no, that didn't make her cry either). _August 21st, second trimester begins._

The next thing she added is the official ending of her daily morning sickness, a short but sweet moment. She couldn't even express how happy she was to put that period of her pregnancy behind her. Rick had been there with her to watch her close the bracket, the morning after her first full day without throwing up once. That night, as they laid in bed, naked and pressed together, he had thanked the baby in her belly for making it a little easier on mommy, (nope, she didn't cry at that either, being called _mommy_).

_September 4th, baby's first story, _was the next thing to make the list. She was considered exactly sixteen weeks pregnant the day that she casually but pointedly mentioned that once a woman reached the sixteen weeks point, the baby could hear. He had been so excited, and had pressed a kiss to her lips, quick but sweet, before crawling down the bed to put his face even with her belly. He had raised her shirt so it was bunched up below her breasts, revealing her still rather small bump. He had pressed a kiss the the skin right above her belly button before whispering to their child the story of how he had proposed, short and sweet and so important. She had cried, a lot, reveled in the fact that it was his stories and way with words that had brought them together in the first place. It was his words that had brought to to that moment, married and expecting their first child. He had kissed away her tears of joy before pulling her back against him before they fell asleep together. She wrote it on the board first thing the next morning.

_September 14th, _was the eleventh thing to make it onto the board, _baby's first movements. _She wouldn't even think of denying that she had cried in that moment, in the middle of the precinct, too. She had been about mid-way through week seventeen, standing in front of her murder board—which wasn't nearly as satisfying to look at as the life board—when she felt the first butterfly-like movement in her tummy. She had frozen, but quickly chalked it up to being nothing but her imagination. That was until she turned to look away from the board and felt it again, much clearer, and she knew exactly what it was. She had stilled completely, standing among the desks of the bullpen, hands flying to her stomach. It wasn't even ten seconds before Castle was next to her, asking her if everything was okay with the baby. She had nodded, whispering to him, and more-so to herself, that she could feel Cosmo moving. The look of awe on his face had made her cough out a choked sob, and his hand was on her belly as well as they rejoiced among their smiling co-workers.

The twelfth thing to make the list is about a week later, _September 23rd, daddy feels baby__. _Once again, they had been in the middle of the precinct, her sitting at her computer, him in his chair at the end of the desk. She had suddenly reached for his hand, pressing it to her belly, hoping he'd be able to feel the little miracle within her for the first time. For a moment he looked a little confused and hopeful. Then, his face lit up, joy and awe and wonder spreading across his features as his eyes shifted from her face to her belly and back again. He mumbled softly inaudible softly as she reached over to take his other hand and rested their other hands over their child as well. Once again, the whole precinct had been watching, some of their closest friends witnessing one of the most amazing moments of their lives, and a monumental one in the life of their baby.

_October 2nd, it's a girl! _He had watched proudly as she had written it on the board with shaking hands. At first, she hadn't wanted to know, and she had made that clear during the first few weeks. But, as the twenty week ultrasound drew nearer, she had begun asking him if he wanted to know, her voice tinted with a hope that he would say yes. He didn't, though, told her it was her choice instead. She had shrugged, but the moment the image of their child had appeared on the screen at the doctor's office, the heartbeat ringing through the room, she had given into her curiosity. And they found out they were having a daughter. She had cried, he had tried hard not to. He had kissed her hand, peppered pecks all over her face, met her lips in a soft and loving kiss, telling her he loved her so much, telling her he loved their daughter so much. And the moment they got home she had written it on the board, placing the ultrasound picture of their little girl on it as well.

That day, baby's first picture was moved aside, but remained on the board. It was replaced by the new, clearer one of her. _Boy _was erased from _Baby boy/girl Castle, _leaving _Baby girl Castle, _their daughter still unnamed. And another picture was added to the board, one of her, again, her baby bump protruding in front of her, bigger than before. It had popped over night, becoming obvious and impossible to hide from suspects, from uniforms, from anyone that didn't know. But, as much as she hated being bigger, she liked knowing that she was that much closer to holding her child.

From there on, firsts were a little less common. _October 17th, baby shower. __November 18th, first midnight cravings. November 21st, first Braxton Hicks. November 29th, first middle of the night story. December 5th, last day of work. December 24th, first Christmas gifts. _(Just the fact that her unborn baby had gotten gifts from everyone had her crying). _December 25th, finished nursery from daddy. _(Rick had gone out of his way to surprise her with a specialty nursery for their little girl, silhouettes of mother and baby elephant painted on the one wall against the powder pink backdrop. She had cried then, too, spotting the rocking chair her mother had used when she was a baby in the one corner of the room). _January 1st, new name. _(Underneath Cosmo, they had printed the name they had chosen for their little girl, _Anne Johanna Castle, _their little girl, only a month from being born).

And then finally, the day they had been long awaiting arrived. _February 3rd, labor begins. _It had started that afternoon, the cramps, the contractions. She had been sitting on the couch, reading a book, as she had spent the bulk of her two months of maternity leave, when he walked into the room to find her wincing. In true Castle fashion, he had instantly insisted they go to the hospital, but in true Beckett fashion she told him they should wait until it was more regular, until she knew for sure it was time. That moment came later that evening, when the contractions were about five minutes apart and becoming more painful. She had spent that night wide awake in her hospital bed.

It wasn't until the next morning, the clock creeping up on seven, that baby Anne Johanna was welcomed into the world, the date that would end up on the life board the moment they got home. _February 4th, 6:48 am, Anne's born! _Through the pain and the tears of that morning had come the best moment of her life, the birth of her daughter. She would never forget the feeling of first hearing Anne's cries echo in the delivery room, of first having her little girl against her chest, wriggling and screaming and healthy and alive and _here. _She had cried. He had cried. Anne had been measured 19" long and weighing 6 lbs. 14 oz. She was perfect, wrapped in a blanket with a pink bonnet atop her head, cradled in her mother's arms that day for the first time of many, staying there as the clock struck seven.

"February 5th, welcome home, Anne," she says softly, smiling as she recalls all the monumental moments of her pregnancy, of her little girls life before she was welcomed into the outside world. "Look at that, sweetheart. That right there, that's the story of your life," she whispers to the baby in her arms, her husband standing nearby. She smiles as she hangs her daughter's first picture on the crowded life board, her cheek pink, blue eyes wide open. When she turns around, she's faced with the broad chest of her husband. With a smile, she nuzzles into it, his strong arms wrapping around her and their daughter, only a day old and already the best thing that's ever happened to her.


	19. prompt 19: final night as Beckett

**Prompt from corgi10 here on fanfiction: Rick and Kate talking the night before their wedding. No interruption, and no other people around.**

* * *

She smiles contently as he opens his arms up to her, waiting for her to settle into them. She had never been big on cuddling, but Rick often brought that side out of her, intimate and comfortable and almost borderline clingy.

So she crawls across the bed, settles into his waiting arms, feels them, strong and familiar, wrap around her as she hums her approval for the comfort he brings her. He's the only one who has ever been able to bring her comfort with simply his touch, sometimes his words, at her worst moments.

And by this time tomorrow, she'll have him for the rest of her life, officially.

"Penny for your thoughts?" His voice is soft as he punctuates his sentence with a kiss to her head, a deep breath against her hair. She fights the smile that threatens to take over her face, not wanting him to see how really happy and giddy she is to be his bride.

Katherine Beckett has never been _giddy. _But Richard Castle does have a tendency of making her do and feel things she normally wouldn't.

Like get married.

"I'm just really happy," she answers. With her arm draped across his middle, she pulls herself tighter against him, leaving no space between his body and hers, the only thing separating them being the clothes they're wearing.

They might be breaking tradition by sharing a bed tonight—which _everyone _was quick to point out and admonish—but they are keeping it platonic, at least. These days—the excitement of her mother's case being closed, the knowledge that the dark cloud of Bracken is no longer looming over her, the fact that they're getting _married_—it's an accomplishment in itself that she's not ripping his clothes off the minute they're alone.

So, yeah, people should be impressed that she's not jumping his bones right now, on the night before their wedding.

"I can tell," he replies, her thoughts breaking at the sound of his soft voice, still muffled by her hair before his lips press to it again. "I am, too." It's a whisper this time, meant just for her even though they're alone in their bedroom, even though there's no one there to hear.

She feels herself smiling anyway, burying her face into his t-shirt clad chest, the soft black cotton smelling just like him, in order to keep him from seeing. As if he doesn't already know how undeniably happy about all this she is.

Even now, she can't believe there was a time where she had convinced herself she didn't want him, didn't need him, didn't _love _him more than she's ever love anyone else. She still can't believe that she pushed him away for four years, only she show up at his door, press her lips hard against his and practically beg him to let her in, to take her, to love her, to start what have quickly become the best two years of hers life.

And now, she has decades with him to look forward to, a life, a future, a family to build with him.

Yeah, there's no way she's hiding how happy she is.

The smile, no longer held back, gracing her lips, she looks up to meet his eyes, blue filled with joy and love that she knows mirror her own green ones.

"I can't believe we're actually, finally getting married," she whispers to him, her hand at his side moving to gently run over his chest. Her leg moves to drape over his, intertwining it with his, holding him as close as possible all while keeping it as innocent as possible. His one hand traces shapes and letter against her side, pulling her loose shirt up just enough to reveal a sliver of skin that his warm palm soon starts caressing. His other hand runs over her upper-arm, massaging the skin there and moving up to her shoulder. It feels so right, so...perfect, and she can't believe that after years of being partners, friends and then lovers, he's finally going to be her husband. "It's been a long journey, Castle."

"That it has, Beckett," he replies, eyes boring into hers in a way only his ever have, like he can see into her soul, see every single part of her, all the deep dark secrets, the worst of which he knows, and the light, fluffy, giddy happiness that lingers on the outside, and that overpowers every other emotion, right now. And then a teasing smirk tugs at his lips, and she knows he's going to make some stupidly cute remark that's so absolutely Castle. "You know, tonight's your last night as _Beckett._"

She feels the smile tugging at her lips, remembering how happy he had been when she told him she was going to take his name, keeping Beckett, but putting simply a space between them, not even hyphenating it. She had told him straight up that she wanted to be Mrs. Castle and not Mrs. Beckett-Castle. Really, the only reason she's even keeping Beckett is because he got to know her first as Beckett, and for work.

"Mhmm," she hums in response, pressing her cheek against his hard chest as another smile comes across her lips. "But, I'll still be Beckett at the precinct," she reminds him, just so she can picture the pout she knows he has on his face right now.

"Why?" he practically whines, once again burying his face in her hair.

"Because, it would be a little confusing if we were both Castle, right? And I'm pretty sure Gates doesn't want another Castle in her precinct anyway," she says teasingly, chuckling into his chest as he laughs into her hair.

"Let's not talk about Gates, okay?" he asks. She nods against him, not really wanting to talk about her boss anymore either. A few moments of silence pass before he speaks again. "Let's talk about the wedding."

"Okay," she agrees. It's been her favorite topic for weeks, anyway.

"You'll look so beautiful," he says almost instantly, his voice soft and wistful as the words fall from his lips. "I'll be watching you walk down the aisle, Kate. You'll have me mesmerized."

"I thought I already did," she throws in, feeling his chest heave slightly with a silent laugh.

"You do. But at the wedding, you'll look like an angel, my angel," he tells her, tightening his grip on her.

She lets him narrate their wedding like it's a scene in one of his books, perfect and in detail and everything she want tomorrow to be, everything she somehow knows tomorrow will be. He's finishing off, the last sentences before the kiss escaping his lips fluently, every word chosen carefully, painting a clear image in her head of what exactly he's describing.

"He'll tell me to kiss my bride, and I'll-" She cuts him off before he can say, her lips pressing to his softly and sweetly as she enjoys what will likely be their last kiss as Mr. Castle and Ms. Beckett, as she mumbles her goodnight wish against his lips.

When she pulls away, he's smiling down at her. "For the last time, goodnight, Beckett," he says softly, voice teasing yet genuine. She knows he can't wait to call her _Castle, _just because he can, and it'll be real.

"Goodnight, Rick," she says in response. He smiles at her use of his first name before she rests her head back against his chest, falling asleep for the last time as Katherine Houghton Beckett.

Her last thought before she falls into oblivion is that she really can't wait to be Katherine Houghton Beckett Castle.


	20. prompt 20: there's other ways

**Prompt from Juzzy88 here on fanfiction: Beckett and Castle are married and have been trying to get pregnant for over a year when they find out that Castle is infertile. **

* * *

She pulls him down next to her, his weight plopping onto the couch. Her hand squeezes his, her other hand making it's way to his thigh.

She feels horrible. Not as bad as he does, she knows, but still. She hates seeing his upset, always had and always will. He's her husband, after all. His being upset directly affects her, all the time. And now is no different.

The doctor's appointment hadn't gone as planned. She had expected something to be wrong with _her. _She had expected it to be her fault that, despite their best efforts, they couldn't conceive. That maybe they've waited too long, or something happened that caused her to be infertile.

She had never expected to hear that _he _was the infertile one.

Neither had known how to react upon hearing the test results, but his hand had been clenched in hers and she instantly squeezed it. She knows how she would of felt had it been all her fault that they couldn't have a baby. She figures that's how he's feeling now.

And she needs to comfort him.

"Rick, babe, it's okay," she tries to sooth him, kneeling on the couch next to him, her hand moving off his thigh to gently rub his chest.

It's true. It really is okay. She could never be mad at him for something like this, not when he looks so disappointed in himself. She knows it wasn't his choice, remembers the time he was worried that shooting a laser blaster had rendered him infertile. Though this has nothing to do with that laser blaster, she's sure. But he is infertile, and she can see how angry he is with himself, hear it his his long, careful breaths, feel the heat radiating off him.

"Really, Rick. It's okay."

"No. No, it's not okay, Kate," he finally snaps, meeting her eyes. She can see the tears brimming his eyes, see how truly upset about this he is. "You want to have a baby, and I can't give you one!"

Her heart breaks in two at his words. Yes, she wants them to have a child. Yes, she'd love to carry their baby. Yes, she'd cried when test after test came back negative.

But no, she wasn't mad at him over this.

"Babe, it's really okay. This isn't your fault," she promises, tears springing to her own eyes as she sees them continue to well in his. She releases his hand, moving so she was sitting in his lap, both hands gripping at his shoulders. "This is _not _your fault. I love you, whether we can have a baby or not, okay?"

His hands move to grip her waist on instinct, holding her steady. "Kate, I know how much you want a baby-"

"Yes, Rick!" she snaps at him, interrupting what she knows would of been a comment about how she's allowed to be mad, how she should me upset with him, how he's upset with himself. And she doesn't want to hear it. "Yes, I want us to have a baby, okay? But if I can't have a baby with _you, _I don't want one," she insists, holding his shoulder tight, letting her nails dig into his sinewy skin. "There's options, babe. You heard her, we could try Artificial Insemination or IVF or, you know what, we could _adopt._"

"But, Kate-"

"No, Castle. Let me finish," she says, her voice raising like it used to when she was upset with him. It hasn't in a while. Not at him, at least. And they both know that she's not going to relent until he hears her out. "I'm really not mad at you, okay? I'm fine if we don't get to have a baby, or raise a kid. I'm happy with you, and Alexis and my dad and Martha and the boys. And we'll get to see Sarah Grace and now Jenny's having another baby and we'll get to see him or her, too, okay? I like the family we have now. And yes, I think that, if we were to be blessed to either have a child of our own or get to adopt one who needs a a home, it would be a _great _addition to our family, but I don't _need _us to have a baby." She tries to smile reassuringly at him, sees some of his self-resenting fading from his eyes. "I just need _you._"

"Are you sure, Kate?" he asks, his hands caressing the skin underneath the hem of her shirt. She nods, pressing her lips to his forehead to comfort him the way he often has done for her. "Okay," he finally relents, looking up at her with still sad eyes. "We can try IUI of IVF or even adoption, okay? We'll get to raise a child, though, Kate."

It's a promise he plans on keeping, and she knows it.

And he does keep it. About a year and a half later—which was spent doing more tests, proving his infertility easy enough to cope with, a round of IUI, and a long nine months of pregnancy—they welcome twins Hannah and Nicholas into the world, their little miracle babies.


	21. prompt 21: not my style

**_Warning: contains possible spoilers for 'For Better or Worse'._**** Prompt from a guest here on tumblr: Beckett decides not to wear the ugly dress after all.**

* * *

"Kate?" says the groggy voice on the other end of the phone, thick with sleep.

"Lanie?" she responds. She knows she probably shouldn't be calling her at six in the morning on her day off, but she's kind of in the middle of a crisis and needs her best friend's help.

"Kate? Why are you calling so early?" comes the reply, the doctor's voice still thick with slumber.

"I have a problem, Lanie. It's about the wedding."

She practically hears the sleep fade from her friends mind, does hear the sheets rustle as Lanie sits up in bed, hears her breath catch in her throat and has to hold back a laugh.

"Tell me you're not backing out now, Kate. Or, wait. Don't tell me writer boy did something stupid," comes her response, making Kate have to stifle another laugh.

"No. No, Lanie. It's nothing like that," she promises, feels a smile come across her lips because there's no way she's even thinking of backing out now. She still can't believe how much she's changed in the past few years, thanks to him. "It's about the dress."

"What? Girl, you better tell me what's up before I go and ask writer boy," she hears through the phone, Lanie's voice filled with a mixture of teasing and genuine worry. "What's wrong with the dress?"

"Nothing, really. It's a beautiful dress, Lanie. I just...I'm not sure it's me, you know?" she asks, twirling her hair with her finger.

She really did like the dress when she first tried it on. But after months of looking in magazines, seeing other dresses, and most recently, hearing from _Meredith, _she realizes that the dress really isn't her style. That and...

"So you want a new one? You do realize it's practically impossible to find a dress _three days _before your wedding, right?" comes Lanie's voice again, making her lose her train of thought.

"I know, but I think it's worth a try. Besides, having a millionaire as a fiance must have some perks, right?" she asks before hearing Lanie laugh in reply.

So, it's a few hours later that she standing in a bridal gown store, Lanie to her right, Alexis to her left—she had asked her if she wanted to join before leaving the loft that morning.

"So, Kate, what kind of dress _do _you want?" asks Lanie as she carefully pulls a dress off the rack to let her decide whether or not she likes it. She shakes her head no.

"Something not so...runway ready and more...traditional," she answers, gently pulling on a dress before letting it tumble back into the ocean of white.

"Lace?" asks Alexis, holding out another dress.

Kate pulls her lower lip between her teeth, taking in the gown Alexis was holding out. It's definitely much more what she's looking for, but she finds herself shaking her head anyway.

"Yes, lace, though. Just...not mermaid style," she says, seeing Lanie's eyes bulge next to her. She knows she could easily pull off a mermaid style gown, and that Castle would love it, but it's not what she wants.

She didn't even know what she wanted until she was wearing an A-Line dress in her dream earlier, but now she knows and she intends on getting married in her dream dress.

She and Lanie look through the gowns hung on one rack while Alexis looks through the other. She can't keep the smile off her face, even as she examines dress after dress that just don't satisfy. In three days she's going to marry the man she loves, and she's-

"What about this, Kate?" calls Alexis suddenly, holding out another dress. She can tell her soon-to-be step-daughter is excited. And as she looks over the dress she's holding up, Kate understands why.

"Yeah..." she says simply, taking the dress from the young woman. She turns to her best friend. "What do you think, Lanie? Should I try it on?"

"Girl, if you like it you should definitely try it on," she tells Kate, a smile coming across her face as she sees her friend so happy.

With a smile, Kate motions for them to follow her to the dressing room. She slips into the small room, leaving Lanie and Alexis to wait for a few minutes. As soon as the door closes behind her, she unzips the bag the gown is in and smiles as she takes in lace at the top, the tulle skirt that flows out at the bottom, covered in another sheen layer of intricate, beautiful lace. Carefully, she slips it off the hanger, undoing the zipper on the back first.

She quickly toes off her stiletto heals, kicking them aside so she could easily step into the white gown. She pulls it up her body, slipping her arms into the arm holes, four inches of lace covering each shoulder, scooping down in a high neckline, making the lace cover her chest as well. It's modest, she notes, and probably not what people are expecting from her. The lace-covered tulle flows to the ground, long enough that it'll probably still hit the floor when she's wearing heals, she realizes with a smile. She has no time for alterations, so she's glad that, when she zips it up, it fits like a glove, like it was somehow meant for her.

Tears sting behind her eyes as she takes in her appearance. She looks like a bride. She looks happy. She looks like Kate Beckett-soon-to-be-Castle.

And she knows _this _is the dress.

"Kate?" calls Alexis. "Does it fit okay?"

Instead of answering, she just smiles and exits the room, smiling at the looks that instantly take over Alexis and Lanie's faces.

"Wow... You look beautiful, Kate," says the young woman, smiling as she takes in the gown.

"Girl, this is _so _your dress. It's perfect for you," comments Lanie, smiling as well.

"You think so?" asks Kate, turning slowly in the gown to let them see the back. Both girls nod in response. Kate smiles again, glad that they think so, too. "Good, because I really needed a new dress," she says. She winks discreetly in Alexis' direction.

"Well, the other one looked great to. You could of gotten married in it, had you not found anything," says Lanie. "But this suits you much better."

Kate meets her friend's eyes, smiling. "The other one didn't fit anymore," she says, pointedly placing her hand on her lower belly, knowing the doctor would catch on.

They had told Alexis a few days ago, after the dating scan where they found out they were expecting twins. Alexis had squealed, pulling Kate into a tight hug and telling her she had always wanted a sibling, and now she's getting two. She also warned her that she was going to spoil the babies rotten. Like father, like daughter, Kate had thought.

Lanie's jaw practically hit the floor. "Girl, turn to the side so I can see this bump," she tells Kate, watching as she follows the instructions. She had been able to hide it at the precinct, under loose shirts and jackets. But in this dress, it's much more evident that she's pregnant, the bump accentuated by the rather tight fitting material. "Oh my God! How far along are you?"

A smile engulfs Kate's face as she runs her hand over the small bump. "Only eight weeks," she answers, making Lanie raise her eyebrows with doubt. "With twins."


	22. prompt 22: innocent

**Prompt from superrogue17 here on fanfiction: Beckett goes and tells Pulgatti the whole story and maybe helps him get out since he's innocent of the charges he's in jail for. _(I'm sorry if this isn't 100% accurate. I didn't know who Pulgatti was until I looked him up after getting this prompt)._**

* * *

She nods her thanks at the guard standing outside the visiting room, hearing him close the door behind her as she walks in.

She's been in too many rooms like this, looking for answers. She's put so many people in rooms like this, and in much worse because of the crimes they've committed. She's seen to many people be whisked out of the holding cells at her precinct to be brought to prisons like this, most of them to this very one.

But this is one room she's been in many times, visiting the same guy, trying to get his input, apologizing for the fact that he's even in here in the first place, telling him she _will_, one day, prove his innocence and get him out.

And now, she's here to tell him she's done exactly that.

She looks up when the door at the opposite end of the room opens, revealing another guard and the man she's here to see, Joe Pulgatti.

Her mother died trying to get this guy out, trying to prove his innocence. And now, she has the chance to finish what her mother died doing.

_You found the ultimate way to honor the victim, _Castle had once told her, right before she got fired from the FBI. That had been in regards to just another case, a murder victim dying trying to keep someone he loved safe, and she had gone out of her way to make sure that said person was safe.

Her mother died trying to prove Pulgatti innocent. And now, fifteen years later, she's finally finishing what her mother started.

Hand chained together by the harsh, cold metal of handcuffs, a guard holding onto his arm, Pulgatti walks closer to the table. The guard releases him as he sits down across from her, recognition shining in his eyes, a glimmer of hope in orbs filled with pain and sadness.

He's been locked up for years, over two decades. She knows that takes a toll on people, that many people die before their sentence is up simply because of how hard it is to be in prison, the stress it puts on them both emotionally and physically.

She's just glad that Pulgatti has managed to pull through for this long, so she can get him out and give him a life back. It won't be the same one he had twenty-two years ago, but it'll be a life so much better than the one he has now.

"Hello, detective," he greets her, his lips a straight line of indifference, like nothing really matters anymore. He looks older than he is, the stress of the years he's lived wearing down on him, wrinkles coating his skin. "You look awfully happy. You usually look so upset and brought down when you visit."

She nods. He's right. She usually only comes to visit when a lead actually leads to nowhere and she's down in the dumps, coming to ask him if maybe, just maybe, with the new information from that lead, he can remember something else, connect the dots with her. He never has.

"Usually you only come when a lead fails you."

"I know," she answers, intertwining her fingers the way he intertwined his upon sitting down. "But this time is different."

"Did you get a lead, Beckett?" he asks, another glimmer of hope shining in his eyes before disappearing behind the cloud of somberness.

"I did," she answers, a small smile coming across her lips as she remembers.

His eyes scan her face quickly, running over her small smile, locking on her eyes. "I'm going to guess this one _wasn't _a dead end?" She can hear the hope in his voice, the anxiousness, the nervousness. As soon as she nods, he lets out a sigh of relief.

"Almost every case goes the same way, Pulgatti. You have to go through a bunch of useless leads before you find the one that cracks the case wide open," she tells him. "We found that lead. We caught the guy."

"You caught him? You caught the guy who framed me, who killed your mom?" he asks, his voice laced with a tone of disbelief.

"We did. His name is William Bracken," she informs him. As much as she had been there before, told him about her leads, she never really told him Bracken's name, scared that he would let it slip to someone and then her whole plan would go under. "I never told you his name because, like you said, he's a very powerful man, even worse than a killer with a badge. Bracken...he was running to a candidate for presidency," she informs him, watching his eyes widen as he takes in the new information. "He was assistant DA at the time of your arrest. He's going to jail for conspiracy, fraud and murder."

"Wow," he says simply. "Does that mean..?" he trails off as she smiles.

"I spoke with the DA. He says you can be released. I dropped off the paperwork on my way in," she tells him, smiling as a genuine smile comes across his face.

"I would hug you right now if I could, Beckett," he tells her, making her laugh softly. "Thank you, so much, detective Beckett. I know you had your own reasons, but I'm really glad you thought of getting me out. Thank you, again, for getting Bracken."

"You're very welcome, Pulgatti. But I can't take all the credit. A few other detectives at the NYPD helped, and I owe a lot to my fiance," she informs him, smiling at just the thought of how much Castle has helped her with this.

"Fiance? You're getting married?" asks Pulgatti. She can't help but marvel in how different this is from their usual conversations, thick with tension and grief and somberness.

"In less than two weeks," she tells him, unable to hide the absolutely giddy smile that comes across her face at the thought of her upcoming nuptials. He smiles back.

"Well, congratulations, Beckett. You look happy. And extend my thanks to him as well as your fellow detectives," he says. She nods, telling him she will.

"Thanks. And...I should probably be on my way. I actually have to work today," she says, leaving out the fact that she asked Gates to have that morning off and return that afternoon just so she could come tell him that they caught Bracken.

"Okay, thanks again, Beckett," he says as she stands up. She opens the door and turns to wave goodbye, smiling as he adds: "Maybe I'll see you out there, someday."

As the door closes behind her, she can't help but smile.

She found the ultimate way to honor the victim, even when the victim is her own mother.


	23. prompt 23: my babies

**Prompt from anonymous on tumblr: Castle has been on a book tour for a while and comes home to find Beckett upset because she just found out she's pregnant again and their (first) baby is still a baby and she's emotional and feels sick and Castle comforts her.**

_**I wasn't sure how 'baby' you wanted the first, so I went with baby, baby.**_

* * *

He pushes open the door to their loft, expecting to get a warm welcome from his wife, perhaps be able to smile at the sight of her and their little boy.

But instead, there's no sound, no movement, nothing, even as the door clicks closed behind him.

He's not supposed to be home today. Gina had scheduled the tour for three weeks, but he cut it short that morning when he told her there was no way in hell he was staying away from his wife and little boy for so long. With James only three months old, three weeks spans over almost a quarter of his short life so far.

And three weeks is a long time to leave a still new to mothering and slightly scared Kate alone with the baby.

So, as the end of week two rolled around, the night before, he called Gina and told her to cancel the rest of the tour, told her he never should of agreed to going on tour so soon after James' birth. After a little arguing, she had agreed to let him go _after _his appearance earlier today.

So now, as he slips off his coat, toes off his shoes and takes a few steps into their home, he wonders where exactly his wife is.

His first thought is that she's in the nursery, probably asleep either sitting in the rocking chair with James in his crib, or with James in her arms. So he quietly goes towards the stairs, walks up them and slowly opens the door to the nursery.

He quickly realizes he was only right about her location, and James'. Their son is seemingly sleeping soundly in his crib. But his wife is, yes, sitting in the rocking chair, but she's not sleeping.

Her hair is up in a ponytail, like it has been for a bulk of the past three, is not more, months. James pulls on it when it's loose, so she ties it up. Her palms rest on her stomach, fingernails clenching into the skin there as if she's in pain. And, worst of all, her eyes are red and puffy, as if she's been crying. And she's staring at the crib as if it's going to disappear at any given moment.

Instantly, he walks to her side, sees her snap out of the trance she was in as his hand settles on her shoulder. She looks up at him, eyes wide.

"You're home," it's soft and distant and he feels his heart break because she's obviously upset and he wasn't here for whatever has her upset. His hand begins caressing the tense muscle of her shoulder.

"You were crying," he counters. He soon finds himself kneeling down next to her, hand trailing down her arm to take hers. She squeezes it instantly. "What's wrong, Kate?"

She looks over at the crib, their son still sleeping, before looking back up at him. "Can we go downstairs and talk about it?" she asks. He nods, already pushing himself to his feet, pulling her to her feet, as well, with his hand still holding hers.

He leads her into the living room, taking slow and steady steps as she mirrors his movements a couple paces behind him, their hands still joined in between them. He leads her all the way to the couch, making her sit down before he does, his hand remaining in hers, resting in the inches of space between them.

"Now, Kate, will you _please _tell me what's wrong?" he asks, his thumb rubbing soothing circles into the back of her hand. She pulls it away, though, as she brings her knees up against her chest, wrapping both her arms around them, burying her face between her knees.

"I'm pregnant," she mumbles, so quietly he's sure he heard wrong. So he rests a hand on her back, waits for her to look at him, sees the tears in her eyes once again, when she does. It breaks his heart. "I'm pregnant, Rick."

His jaw practically hits the ground as the sentence plays on repeat in his mind. Yes, he had been surprised when she first told him they were expecting James, but she had been happy, and he had been happy and the tears in their eyes were happy. Now, the tears in her eyes are sad, and he wants to make them disappear.

He wants to take them away, turn them happy, do something, _anything _to comfort her.

"I found out a few days ago. I missed my period...and I know it's normal so soon after giving birth...but then my stomach started getting upset. I know it's flu season...so I went to the doctor...didn't want to get...the baby sick," she explains, once again burying her face into her knees, her slow tears quickly becoming sobs. "He- he ran a blood test. It- it said I'm... p-pregnant," she continues, hiccuping through her tears, gasping for breath between words. "I told him...it wasn't possible...'cause I just...h- had James, but...he said it was...definitely true."

"Kate..." he manages to get in as she pauses to catch her breath. "Kate, it's okay."

"No! No, Castle, it's not," she argues, pulling her tear-streaked face from between her knees to look at him, anger shining in her green eyes. Whether it's because of him, or the situation, he doesn't know. "James, Castle. James is still a _baby, _a little baby. And now we're already having another one? I don't even know... I mean, can I even keep breastfeeding him? Will I still be able to _carry _him when I'm in my last trimester? Will I be able to take care of him like he needs me to, Rick?" Her breathing is more even now, he notes. Tears still fall from her eyes, but he can tell they're now tears of anger and not sadness. "And I've been feeling sick all the time. I feel sick _right now. _And I'm tired, and he's still waking us up almost every hour on the hour. What if something happens to the baby because of me, because I got pregnant too soon?"

"Kate..." he says again, his heart breaking for her because he truly does not have the answers for her. He doesn't know what's going to happen. He doesn't know what it means to get pregnant so soon after already having a baby. But he does know that she shouldn't be crying, shouldn't be sad, shouldn't be angry. "Kate, listen. No matter what happens, it'll be okay. We'll figure this out. We'll figure out how to balance James and you being pregnant," he promises.

"Six weeks, Rick. I'm _six weeks pregnant_. James was _six weeks __old _when we...conceived," she tells him suddenly, staring into his eyes as if that'll change what he thinks about all this. "We'll have two kids under _one._"

Even he had to admit that thought was scary. Having James home is hard enough, since he's still so young. He can barely imagine having another baby James' age, along with a one-year-old who would most likely be learning to walk and talk and that would need attention and constant supervision.

But he can't tell Kate how scared he is. He needs to be the strong one. She's the pregnant one, the worrying mother, the one who's nauseous and tired. He needs to be the one there to support her.

"No matter what, Kate. We'll figure this out. I promise. We'll do amazing, okay? You'll do amazing."

She doesn't reply, but when she looks up, there's more tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. She hastily wipes them away as he opens his arms up to her. She hesitates at first, but then crawls to lean against him, to let him hold her close. His arm wraps around her small waist, resting on her stomach, her baby weight from her pregnancy with James still not completely lost. Under it, though, is his other child, his third child.

It might be earlier than planned—much, _much _earlier—but he knows, deep down, that soon enough the fear will fade a little, leaving them marveling in a life with two babies.


	24. prompt 24: understanding

**Prompt from Abby here on fanfiction: Martha dies unexpectedly (not murdered) and Kate tries to comfort Castle only for him to snap at her and push her away (set in season 4).**

* * *

She's the one that's there with him when he gets the call from the hospital.

_Major heart attack._

She's the one that drives him to the hospital, that calls Ryan and Esposito, tells them to go pick up the suspect for them.

She's the one that drives him to the hospital in her Crown Vic, completely forgetting her case to help him.

She's the one that's standing to his left, his daughter at his right, when the doctor comes out and starts off with that speech on how he did everything he could to save her.

She's the one that watches like a third wheel as he holds Alexis tight, both Castles crying into each other as she stands to the side awkwardly.

She's the one that came this close to crying over his mother, because Martha has never been anything short of _amazing _to her, and she'll miss the woman, too.

She's the one that shakes the doctor's hand, thanks him quietly for his effort even though she's upset, too.

She's the one that holds his hand when he and his daughter part, squeezes it and tells him to take as much time as he needs, that she'll see him soon.

She's the one that accepts the hug he engulfs her in, his tears wetting the material covering her shoulder.

She's the one that lets her tears fall, that tells him she's here for him, no matter what.

She's the one that drives him and his daughter home, once they've both seen Martha, cried over her, held her hand one last time as it still held some body heat.

She stayed there even though it broke her heart to know that she never got that when her mother died, that she got to see her mother stabbed to death, bloody and cut, in an alley.

She's the one that gets them as settle as possible back in the loft, the one that tells them _both _to call her if they need anything.

She's the one that went over to their apartment the next morning because she called Gates to get the day off and helped with whatever they needed.

She's the one that's still in their loft, sitting on the coffee table in front of her partner, trying to be there for him while Alexis takes a nap in her late grandmother's bed.

He's the one that, for once, is pushing her away.

"Beckett, go," he tells her, eyes downcast and not meeting hers. An untouched cup of coffee sits on the table to her left, right next to her hip, growing cold. His hands are crossed in his lap and shaking. He looks so upset, so broken.

She's never seen him this way. She's usually the broken one that needs fixing, that needs _him._ It's never really been the opposite. At least, not to this extent.

"Go the precinct, Beckett," he tells her when she doesn't move. She won't move. She won't leave.

"I got the day off, remember?" she responds, leaning down in attempt to meet his eyes so he knows she wants to be here for him, not at the precinct.

"You never take a day off voluntarily," he counters. He's right, too. But hey, there's a first time for everything, right? So she leans over, one elbow resting on her knee, her other hand moving to rest on his.

"I know, but I wanted to be here for you and Alexis," she tells him, promises him. Part of her feels like she might be overstepping, like she's acting more like a girlfriend than a work partner. But this is the man she loves, and she knows he loves her, too—even though he won't when she finally tells him she knows—and she wants to be here for him.

"But we don't need you here, Kate," he says, the use of her first name surprising her. He's been calling her Beckett all day. It's less...intimate, in a way, and she knows that today, the last thing he wants to be is emotional.

"Yes, Castle, you do. I know what your going through," she tells him, letting her thumb caress his knee through the cotton of his pyjama pants. The grey material is spotted with the logos of various super heroes. She wants to tell him he doesn't need to be any of them, right now, that he can be sad and weak. But she knows that would be incredibly hypocritical of her, so she refrains.

"No, Beckett, you don't understand!" he suddenly snaps, looking up at her, finally. In his eyes, she can see the pain and the grief, and anger. She's not one-hundred percent sure whether he's angry at her, or at the situation. Or maybe both.

She goes to open her mouth to speak, knows he's upset and grieving and not thinking straight, but beats her to it, standing up before he speaks.

"You don't know what it's like to only have _one _person there for you your entire life. You don't know what it's like to never know your other parent, to only have _one _person to look up to. And you have no idea what it's like to lose that one person, Beckett!" Her name sounds like venom on his tongue now, as tears spring to her eyes.

He's said a lot of things that have upset her, annoyed her and irked her. But this is by far the worst.

She might not know what it's like to have a single parent, no, she doesn't. But she sure as hell knows what it's like to lose your mother.

"You know what, Castle?" She spits his name out with the name venom that he had hers. "You're right. I don't understand what it's like to lose a _single _parent. But I know what it's like to lose your mother, Rick." She sees his eyes bulge at the use of his first name. "I know what it's like to have them here one moment and gone the next. I know what it's like to see their lifeless body. I know what it's like to know that you'll _never _be able to hug them again." She can see his face become clouded with sadness at her words, knows this really isn't helping with the grieving, but she can't help it. He upset her.

How dare he tell her she doesn't understand?

"And guess what, Castle? My dad might still be alive, but he wasn't there for me after she died. For _five years_ I had no mother and no father. I know what it's like to lose them, Castle! I know better than anyone you know," she's practically screaming. The only thing holding her back from screaming at the top of her lungs is the fact that Alexis is trying to sleep, only a floor above them.

"Kate..." she hears him say, soft as whisper, but desperate. She can't bring herself to listen, as she turns on her heel and walks towards the door, tears welled in her eyes, rolling down her cheeks.

"Call me when you're ready to see me," she tells him, swinging the door to the loft open and slamming it shut behind her.

She's too worried to actually leave, though. So she camps out in the hallway.


	25. prompt 25: hunt

**Prompt from kwarner here on fanfiction. The prompt is pretty much the outline of the story, so It'll be at the end. Spoilers for 6x23.**

* * *

The warmth radiating from the flames can be felt from where she's standing on the road's shoulder. They warm her cheeks, sting her eyes and freeze her heart.

Her fiance.

He's dead.

He's dead.

He's...

"Kate!"

Her head zips in the direction from where the sound is coming, so fast she almost gets a head rush. That's not Martha's voice, nor Alexis', nor Lanie's and not some random cop's either.

It's...

It's...

It's...him!

"Rick!"

She barely gets his name out before she's running at him and flinging herself into his arms. Her arms wrap around his neck, fingers knotting into the short hairs at his nap. He face is buried in his neck, steady breaths through her nose allowing her to breath in the scent that is purely him. She knows she's crying. She knows she's clinging. But she needs to feel him, needs him to feel her. And he does, she does. His arms are wrapped firmly around her, holding her against him as tightly as the layers of dress will allow. The warmth of his hands seeps through the white material.

Unlike the flames, it warms her heart.

"You're alive. You-you're alive."

She's sobbing into his neck, steady inhales interrupted by coughs and sobs as she clings to him, lets her nail dig into the soft skin of his neck. He just keeps holding her until she plants her feet firmly on the ground and pulls away, only far enough to press her lips to his.

The kiss is wet and desperate, her tongue slipping into his mouth before he even realizes they're kissing. He reciprocates with equal passion only seconds later, lets her take what she needs.

He saw the car. He knows she saw it. He knows she was scared to death.

He knows what it feels like to think that the person you love more than _anyone _is dead.

So he lets her cling. Lets her be desperate. Lets her hold him. And he holds her, too.

"What happened?"

It's been minutes now, sobbing and kissing making up that time, and she's only now finding the ability to truly speak.

He looks around quickly. Cops are everywhere. The fire department is arriving. His mother, daughter and Lanie are all watching him like a hawk, smiling widely. He's kind of glad that they're not coming his way, engulfing him in a hug the way Kate did. He kinda wants to tell her this before everyone else, anyway.

It's her wedding—_their _wedding—that this all ruined anyway.

So, his one hand remaining on her back, wrapping around her waist and holding her close, the other hanging at his side, he leads her to the car she used to come here, the car that they weren't supposed to be in until _after _the wedding. He helps her into the passenger seat, helps stuff her dress into the bottom of it, admiring it silently.

She looks beautiful, but he doesn't want to tell her that until after they're husband and wife.

As soon as he closes the door, he runs around the white car to hop into the driver seat. Her hand reaches out for his before he even closes his own door, her eyes shining with love and relief and fear all at once, a storm of emotion in them.

"What happened?"

His hand squeezes hers quickly, but she's holding onto it so tightly it has barely any effect. "I was run off the road by a black SUV. The men inside were from eastern Europe. They were screaming at me to get out of the car right after it crashed. They said they needed me as leverage to get to my father."

Her intake of breath is sharp, as if that was the last thing she expected to hear. He doesn't blame her. He hadn't been expecting it, either.

"I was going to listen. Besides, I had to get out of the car anyway."

Her eyes flash towards the wreck, the flames dying down, the smoke still filling the usually sweet country smelling air of this particular highway, tainting it with it's unique scent, so thick it chokes you.

He squeezes her hand to bring her attention back to him.

"They were pulled over on the shoulder. I had been struggling to get the door open. And then suddenly bullets were being fired."

She gasps, instantly searching him for evidence of a gunshot wound or even a simple nick until she's satisfied and looks back up at him.

"Not at me, at the car. I gave up on the door to see who was coming to my rescue. It was-"

"Your dad," she finishes for him, voice filled with awe and love and thanks towards her future father-in-law.

He nods. "I don't think anyone got hit. He was yelling, telling them to never come after me again. They drove off. I guess the bullets didn't do much damage, broke a few windows, put holes in the doors, you know?"

She nods, her breathing steadying as he continues this story, obviously becoming more and more reassured.

"Let's just say, I don't think they'll be back. So, my dad came down and dragged me out of the car. The fire started only a few seconds later."

The breath she lets out is shuddered, filled with worry, the image of him narrowly escaping death, the burn of fire playing behind her eyelids.

"We went into the woods to talk, where we wouldn't be seen. He told me a few things about them. I, uh...missed most of it. I was thinking of you."

She smiles at him, looking down at her lap shyly, a light blush staining her cheeks.

"He says congratulations, by the way," he finishes, smiling at her.

"We're not married...yet," she counters, a hint of somberness in her voice despite the small smile spread across her lips.

"We can change that. You wanna go get married?"

She's practically on him in a minute, lips attacking his as if she expected him to just cancel their wedding altogether. As if she didn't know that, ran off the road or not, he's going to marry her _today. _

It's like a blur, it's so fast. One moment, she's calling Martha, Alexis and Lanie to come join them in the car so they can go get married, the cops saying they need his statement as they drive off. The next, she's planting a firm kiss on his lips and pushing him down the aisle, telling him she'll see him in a few minutes.

Lanie, Madison and Jenny walk down the aisle rather quickly. He doesn't pay much attention. He really only cares about seeing Kate, on her father's arm, in her mother's dress—Martha let it out in the car that the dress had belonged to Johanna.

The sight doesn't disappoint. The smile on her face is radiant, contagious. The smile on Jim's is very similar. The smile on his is huge, he knows. The white gown drags slightly on the ground behind her, the ivory runner keeping it from being stained by the grass of his Hamptons backyard.

She's gorgeous, _mesmerizing._

His hands take hers as her father gives her away, gives her to him. She's smiling at him, pearly white teeth shining through the pale pink lipstick that coats her plush lips, begging to be kissed.

He can't wait to finally kiss his _wife. _

The wedding goes by quickly, the whole event practically a blur as they stare into each other's eyes, their vows spoken softly, promises ringing in their ears. A future together started in that very moment before all their friends and family. A minister to her left, his right, speaking of love and life and everything that has brought them here, led them here.

And finally, a thin, white gold wedding bend with inset diamonds is on her left ring finger. A simple platinum band rests on his. Their hands remain in between them, his ring pressing against the back of her hand as hers presses into his palm.

And when the minister tells him to kiss his bride—his _wife_—his arms wrap around her waist, pull her close and his lips find hers in a gentle, loving kiss.

The events of earlier that day are forgotten, even as Jackson Hunt watches his son get married for the third and _final _time from where he's peaking around the corner.

He disappears before anyone sees him, needing to keep his son safe, if only for the woman pressed against his side as they walk back down the aisle, smiles wide, hands intertwined, happier than ever.

* * *

**Prompt: Kate sees the car burning and is crying when Rick comes out from behind a series of trees and surprises Kate. Come to find out that the SUV that was chasing him was someone who found out that his father is Jackson and wanted to use him as leverage against Jackson. But Hunt was one step ahead of them and when the car crashed Jackson ambushes them and they go driving off and Hunt pulls Rick out of the car before it catches fire. He tells Kate this and Rick says so you wanna go get married and they go get married. Please if you can put their wedding into the story also.**

_**Also, I'm sorry if this isn't exactly what you were looking for. I know the wedding is very vague and just a few sentences, but I didn't really want to get carried away and write a 4000 word one-shot.**_


	26. prompt 26: understands

**Prompt from Sam here on fanfiction: Can you do a second part to chapter 24 where Kate realizes she overreacted and goes back in and apologizes to Castle. **

**_Also, I'm sorry to all those who think I mishandled the prompt in chapter 24. I really didn't mean to make Beckett come across as mean or a b****. I just feel like, considering how much her mother's murder hurt her and how much it changed her life, to be told that she doesn't understand would strike a nerve, you know? It's kinda like, to a much lesser extent, I've been bullied for years, and when I teacher told me I was a bully, I kinda snapped at her. That's really all I was trying to portray. _**

**_And, I also want to make it clear that Beckett does miss Martha, too. She's grieving, too—not nearly as much as Castle, but still—because Martha was always kind and welcoming to her._**

* * *

She doesn't last ten minutes outside his door. It's too quiet, too motionless inside the apartment. And she feels like a stalker sitting with her back against is door.

And she feels absolutely horrible.

She can't believe she _snapped _at him like that. She can't believe she screamed and stormed out.

He didn't deserve that. He hadn't meant to upset her. She knows that.

He's grieving. He's grieving one of the most horrible losses one can suffer, she knows from experience. He's not thinking straight.

Worst of all, he was right. She really doesn't know what it's like to lose your only parent, your only role model. She doesn't know what it's like to lose the one person that has always been there for you. She doesn't know what it's like to lose Martha as a mother.

She knows what it's like to lose your mother, of course, but her father is still alive, a phone call or a drive away. She knows what it's like to lose _one _person that's always been there for you, but not the _only one. _And she knows, now, what it's like to lose Martha, but not as a mother.

So now, her hand rests on the doorknob of his door, unlocked. It brings her back to the moment in LA when she was just five seconds too late. Now, she doesn't think there is a too late. Castle hasn't really left the living room, except to use the bathroom, since she brought him and Alexis home yesterday. She knows he's sitting right there. She knows he's probably crying again, maybe because of her and her harsh words, maybe because Martha is gone, perhaps a mix of the two making the wetness gather in his eyes.

She knows she needs to apologize.

She knows she needs to tell him he's right.

She knows she needs to be here for him, and not let her own personal issues and loss get in the way.

He's always been here for her. Now, it's her turn to return the favor.

She twists the knob, pushes the door open, eyes instantly falling on his figure on the couch.

He's as still as a statue, hands on his knees, staring at a blank television screen.

Her heart breaks for him. She's been there, done that, bought the t-shirt.

It's a t-shirt she wishes she could return, but she can't, and he can't either.

And she's going to do everything in her power to make this easier for him, no matter what it takes—and that starts with an apology, she decides.

She closes the door behind her gently, carefully, a stark contrast to the way she slammed it shut after her outburst. She closes her eyes momentarily to keep those images out of her mind. She needs to be as clear-minded as possible, only for him.

She releases the doorknob as she takes a step into the apartment, the soft click of her heal seemingly breaking him from his grief-induced trance.

"Kate?" he says softly, as if she's the last person he expected to see.

"I'm so sorry, Rick," she says in lieu of a greeting, taking a few more steps towards the couch, towards him.

She can see the faint marks of dried tears on his cheeks, the glossy and distant look in his eyes. Her heart breaks, because she _knows, _sort of, what it's like to be in his place.

"I'm so sorry. I never should of snapped at you," she tells him, sitting back down on his coffee table, the cup of coffee still untouched and sitting next to her.

"I-"

"No, Rick. Don't you dare apologize." It's an order, and she knows he knows it. "You're the one grieving. I should of been more considerate."

He opens his mouth as if to speak, to argue, but one raised eyebrow from her and he think otherwise.

"I just... I want to be here for you, Castle. I _want _you to let me in," she tells him, can hear the emotion seeping into her own voice as she speaks. "You were right, I don't understand all of it. But I do know what it's like to lose one of the most important people in your life. And I want you to know that I'm here for you."

Without really thinking about it, she reached out to rest a hand on his knee.

"I want you to let me in, Rick. And I know it's a lot to ask, because I'm horrible at it, and I've pushed you away when I needed someone most. But you've always been here for me, Rick. And now I want to be here for you," she promises, almost begging him to let her help, tears springing to her eyes as she remembers all the times she's pushed with away._  
_

Once again, he opens his mouth as if he's about to argue.

"Please, Rick. Please, just let me help." This is so unlike her, she realizes. But when you love someone, you'll do anything for them, you want to do everything you can to help them.

He doesn't protest, just stares into her eyes, tears springing to his blue ones, falling to roll down his cheeks.

Subconsciously, she reaches over and wipes them away with the pad of her thumb. It just feels right, she notes a few seconds later as she realizes what she did, as she leans over to press a kiss to his head.

She knows she's toeing at the blurred line between them, stepping on the blurry edges of it.

And she's surprised to realize that she really doesn't care.

She actually likes it, hopes that maybe this can be a step in the right direction for them, once he gets passed the initial brick wall of grief.

Instead of sitting back down on the table, she takes a seat next to him on the couch, her hand reaching for his as if on instinct, resting her head against his shoulder in support, so he knows she's right here for him.

He lets her, rests his head on hers and lets the tears fall.


	27. prompt 27: her baby boy

**Prompt from CassieCastle47 here on fanfiction: Can you please do a continuation of this [prompt 23: my babies] where she's in her third trimester and she can't do anything she wants to do for James. **

**_Not sure if this is what you were looking for, but this is what worked out. _**

* * *

He's eleven months old.

He can stand up on extremely wobbly legs, sometimes.

He can ramp alongside the furniture, or walk while holding onto daddy's fingers.

He can climb onto the couch and chairs and out of his crib when he really wants to.

He can sort his blocks by color with a little help from daddy.

He can open the drawers and cabinets—well, he could before they stuck the locks on everything.

He can feed himself, and loves to do so.

He can say a few words: mama, dada and others, his favorite being 'no'.

He can point out Lexie and gram and even Lanie, Ryan and Espo.

He can do all these things. He's amazing and sweet and absolutely perfect.

And she just wishes she could all these things with him, the way Rick gets to.

But she can't.

She's due any day now, _any day._

Now, don't get her wrong. She loves her baby, her unborn baby and the one currently sitting on the living room floor with his daddy.

But she wants her unborn baby _out _of her, and here, in the outside world, with her and Castle and James.

She wants to be able to hold her son again, hold him properly, the way she used to.

She wants to have him hold her fingers while he walks around.

She wants to be able to get him out of his crib.

She wants to be able to lay down on the floor and play blocks with him.

She wants to be able to carry him to bed at night.

She wants to do so many things.

But she can't.

And she really, _really _love her baby girl, the unborn one expected to arrive any moment.

She really, _really _wants her little girl, little Josie, to be out soon, not just so she can start building the relationship she wants with James.

She really, _really _wants to hold her daughter.

She really, _really _wants to see James with his sister, even though he's still too young to understand.

More than anything, she really wants to be home for Christmas.

And with every day that passes, the more likely it gets that she'll be in the hospital either having or recovering from having their baby.

Christmas is about a week away, nine days, to be exact.

The loft is already decorated, the tree standing tall, fake snow covering the center of the table, parts of the television stand and even parts of the counters, whit lights strung around the living room, presents sitting on the floor below the tree.

James loves it. His eyes always light up when Rick carries him into the main room of the loft. He reaches for the new, plastic balls on the bottom of the tree. He laughs his precious little laugh when Rick plays with the train he bought specifically for their first Christmas with a little boy.

And he's constantly trying to get into the presents, as if he knows that the colorfully wrapped boxes hold toys for him. Castle has been watching him carefully to make sure he doesn't get into the gifts before Christmas Eve.

Now is no different.

Castle is sitting on the floor with James, who keeps trying to crawl away in direction of the the tree, laughing as his daddy catches his waist and pulls him back.

They all know this game, all know that no matter how many times Rick pulls James back to the center of the room, he will try and crawl away again.

She's just glad he can't walk yet. That would make this little game he loves so much a whole lot harder.

Soon, though. Soon he'll be able to walk without the couch or daddy's fingers.

Soon, she'll have _two _babies to take care of, the one wriggling out of his daddy's hands, again, and the one trying to kick her way out of mommy's tummy.

She runs her hand over the prominent bump, feeling her little girl's movements. Her heart bursts with love, the kind on love you can only feel for your child.

_Like being struck by lightning._

"Dada!" screeches their little boy, and she smiles even though it upsets her a bit.

He never screeches like that with her. Since he's learned to say his first words, she's been too heavily pregnant to really play with him the way Rick does. He mumbles her name while they cuddle before bed, or when he wants food. But the happy, playful screeching is reserved for his daddy.

She would never, ever want to change the father/son relationship that her two favorite men have. She loves watching her son with her husband, the way they play together. She can already tell that James will be a lot like his dad, playful and optimistic.

She just wishes, sometimes, that she had been given the chance to build a similar relationship with her little boy, or at least a better one then they have now.

She just wishes...

She just wishes...

"I think mama could use a hug. Don't you, buddy?" she hears Castle's voice suddenly, turns to see him looking up at her, a suddenly calm James sitting on his thigh.

"Mama," says James, a smile coming across his face as her once tries to wriggle out of Castle's arms.

He lets the baby go, and he crawls over quickly, struggling to get onto the couch as she gently pulls him up by his elbow. Once he's on the couch, he wraps his arms around her, one chubby am resting over her baby bump, the other attempting to wrap around her back.

"Mama," he mumbles.

Her heart melts as she wraps her arms around her little boy, her baby—if only for the next few days, until his baby sister makes an appearance. She realizes she changed her mind, that the soft mumbles are so much better than any playful shriek, full of love and adoration.

"Hey, baby," she whispers back to him, looking over at her husband, mouthing a thank you to him.

He mouths a love you in return.

He always knows just what she needs. He's been comforting her throughout this entire pregnancy, through every single moment when she felt like a bad mom because she got pregnant to soon, when she was going through morning sickness and couldn't stand the smell of his diapers, when she was tired and could barely get up to feed him at night, when she first became too big to lean over the edge of the crib and lift him out.

"Kaykay?" asks James, looking up at her, smiling, showing off his four little teeth.

She smiles back at him.

"Yeah, baby. Mama's okay. All better. All 'cause of you."


	28. prompt 28: pile of rubble at her feet

**Prompt from BurningxRedxCaskett here on fanfiction: Set mid season 4: Castle gets shot while they're chasing down a suspect (but obviously lives) and Kate realizes she doesn't need anymore time—she's ready to be with him.**

* * *

"Castle!"

This was not supposed to happen.

This was _never _supposed to happen.

He was _never _supposed to get shot.

But now, he has been shot.

Now, he lays on the ground motionless as their suspect gets away.

And she doesn't care about the suspect at all.

She doesn't think of telling Ryan and Esposito.

She doesn't think of contacting anyone for help.

She doesn't even know where he's been shot, just that he has and he's on the ground.

And he might die, if the shot went through his chest, or head, or something like that.

She just needs him to live.

She needs him to live so he can help her knock this wall down.

If he dies, what has been knocked down with just be reassembled.

If he dies, she'll build it back up twice, no, three times as strong.

If he dies...

If he dies, she has nothing left.

"Castle, Rick."

She drops to the ground on her knees, their suspect long gone now.

Once Castle's gotten care and is okay—he _will _be okay—she'll hunt him down.

Once Castle's gotten care and is okay, she'll slap handcuffs on his wrists and drag him into holding.

Once Castle's gotten care and is okay, she'll drag him to jail for shooting her partner, her friend, her...

Her Rick.

"Rick, stay with me, please."

Her fingers run through his hair, soft between them.

Her fingers run down his arms, both okay and still intake.

Her fingers run down his sides, around his waist.

Her fingers cup the nape of his neck, the way she would if he was kissing her.

Her fingers avoid the bloody mark on the right—thank _God__—_side of his chest.

"Beckett? Castle? Everything okay?"

She barely processes the words, Ryan's voice scratchy through the radio.

Her fingers shake as she reaches for it, presses the button so they will hear her.

"Castle. Castle's been shot."

She drops the radio to the pavement as soon as her sentence is finished.

He can't die.

He can't be dead.

He can't...

He can't...

Ryan will call for help.

Ryan will call for an ambulance.

Ryan will pull through.

Ryan...

Castle...

"Rick, stay with me, please."

Her knees her.

The ground is hard underneath them.

The ground...

The blood...

His blood.

The gunshot wound, angry and red on his chest.

The blue dress shirt was her favorite.

The blue dress shirt brought out his eyes.

The blue dress shirt is ruined.

The blue dress shirt is stained, angry red.

"Rick, I love you."

He's alive.

He's still alive.

He has a pulse, beating faintly.

He's still breathing.

"Just keep breathing, Rick. Okay?"

Sirens.

The ambulance.

The ambulance is here.

Oh, thank _God..._

"I love you, Rick."

Paramedics are everywhere.

Gunshot wound to the chest, right side, has a pulse.

"Are you okay, miss?"

"Yes."

Have you been shot, miss?"

"No."

"Are you his wife, miss?"

"No."

_One day..._

One day, she'll be his wife, _hopefully. _

One day, they'll be together.

One day, she'll let him in.

One day, the wall be down.

_Rick, I love you._

The wall is down...

The wall is down.

The wall is down!

The wall is a pile of rubble at her feet.

"Will you be joining us in the ambulance, miss?"

_Rick, I love you._

_The wall is down._

"Yes, please."

The road is bumpy, the sketchy neighborhoods not bothering to get them fixed.

His hand is in hers, still warm despite his blood loss.

The paramedics are everywhere, pricking him with a IV, monitoring his vitals.

He's alive.

He's still alive.

He won't die.

He'll live, for her.

She lived for him, now he'll return the favor.

The wall is down, rubble at her feet.

_Rick, I love you._

The hospital is busy, frantic even.

Doctors, nurses, interns, secretaries, patients, families are everywhere.

"I'm sorry, miss. You'll have to wait here. I'll get a nurse to come tell you any news."

She sits.

She waits.

And waits.

And waits.

She calls Martha, talks to Alexis.

Alexis is mad.

Alexis is mad at _her._

Alexis blames her for the gunshot wound in her father's chest.

She blames herself, too.

A nurse comes out half an hour later.

Martha and Alexis are on their way.

"He needs surgery, miss..."

"Beckett."

"Miss Beckett. Do you know anyone who can sign their consent?"

Martha and Alexis are on their way.

Martha and Alexis can sign their consent.

Martha and Alexis are still at least half an hour away.

"They're on their way. But, Castle would want the surgery. He has a daughter. He'd want you to do anything necessary to save him."

It's a promise.

Since when does she make promises on Castle's behalf?

_Rick, I love you._

"As this is a matter of life and death, and Mr. Castle does need immediate care, we could legally go through with the surgery. Are you sure, miss Beckett?"

She nods.

Martha and Alexis won't mind.

Martha and Alexis would only be mad if he died because she _denied _him care.

She doesn't want him to die, either.

She wants him to live.

She needs him to live.

They bring him into surgery, the doctor promising that Castle's case looks promising.

She waits.

And waits.

And waits.

Martha and Alexis show up about half an hour later.

He's brought out of surgery about another hour later.

He's okay.

The operation went well.

He's alive.

He will live.

And, oh God, she's crying in relief.

Martha and Alexis go back and see him first, waiting with him until after he wakes.

She doesn't leave.

She refuses to leave.

She needs to see him.

_Rick, I love you._

_The wall is down._

She waits for two hours.

She sits and waits for two hours.

She wants to see him.

She needs to see him.

"He's asking for you."

Martha and Alexis leave the hospital, Alexis apologizing for getting so angry, Martha telling her to go see Castle.

So she does.

She tries to stay calm, but her heart is beating out of her chest.

_Rick, I love you._

His eyes light up when he sees her.

"Kate!"

His voice is scratchy, harsh.

"Rick..."

Her voice is shaky, weak.

"You love me."

Right to the point, as always.

_Rick, I love you._

"You remember."

"I do."

"I knew you would."

_I love you, Kate._

"You remember."

Right to the point, again.

_No, I don't remember much of anything._

"I do."

_I love you, Kate._

"Why?"

_You don't...remember?_

"The wall."

_The wall is down._

"The wall..."

_Rick, I love you._

"It's down."

_It's like I built up this wall inside me._

"It's down?"

_The wall is down._

"It's down."

_I know I'm not gonna...I'm not gonna be able to have the kind of relationship that I want until that wall comes down._

"It's down."

_The wall is down._

"I'm ready."

_Rick, I love you._

"To be with me?"

_I love you, Kate._

"Yeah."

_A pile of rubble at she feet. _


	29. prompt 29: the playlist

**Another prompt I found on castlefanficprompts on tumblr, from anonymous: Pre-Caskett, set s4. Castle goes on Beckett's phone and searches her music and finds a playlist named after him. _Set after Undead Again but before Always. Also, I know some of the songs mentioned weren't released back during season 4, but whatever._**

* * *

He knows it's wrong. It's her phone, and he hasn't really touched it since she got shot. It seemed wrong after she pushed him away for three months, after she told him about her walls.

But he's really bored, and he forgot his phone at home—how, he's still not sure. And she's just sitting doing paperwork, which is even more boring than just sitting here watching her.

And the wall's coming down. She told him straight up, almost those exact words. And he can only think of one reason why she'd tell _him. _

He doesn't want to get overly hopeful, though. She's been lying to him for almost a year now, and that makes a part of him doubt that she does in fact want to be with him. He hopes, though.

He really, really hopes.

He looks up at her, letting his eyes travel across her face. She looked to be rather into her paperwork—well, more like concentrated on it so she could get it finished as soon as possible. He recognizes the furrow of her brow, the look in her eyes, the tense set of her jaw. He's seen it all before, the look she gets when working on a case.

He knows that this specific look means she's focused, and that it'll take a lot to break her out of it.

He reaches out and grabs her phone, quickly typing in the pass code he deciphered using the detective skills she's helped him acquire over the years: _0109, _the date of her mother's murder.

He kinda hates knowing that, that January 9th takes over her life so much it's her safety pass code on her phone.

As soon as the phone is unlocked, he looks up to make sure she's still concentrating on her paperwork before tapping the orange music note app in the bottom right corner of the screen.

Maybe snooping through her music is a bad idea. No, it definitely is a bad idea. Music can be the window to someone's soul, he knows. He has a whole playlist of upbeat pop songs, another of songs that make him think of Alexis and his mother, and another-

His eyes practically bulge out of his head when he sees the playlist his thumb is currently hovering over, simply entitled _Castle. _His heart skips a beat as he realizes that she has a playlist dedicated to _him. _Just like he has one dedicate to songs that make him think of her.

He lets his thumb hover over his surname for a moment, knows that it's completely breaking her trust and invading her personal life. He's not respecting her privacy by being on her phone in the first place, he really shouldn't be looking into this playlist of songs that apparently make her think of _him._

But he can't help it. He's too curious. He needs to know what she thinks about this, about them. He needs to know. She's so secretive, he's never really sure. But this, this is the key to knowing it all, to finding out if she feels the same way about him as he does about her.

Before he can really think about it, think about the consequences, he hits the playlist, opening a list of songs he's surprised by. He has to swallow hard to keep from chocking on air.

_Realize_ by Colbie Callait

_I Never Told you _by Colbie Callait

_I'll Stand by You _by The Pretenders

_In My Veins _by Andrew Belle

_May I _by Trading Yesterday

_I'll Be _by Edwin McCain

_Hero _by Enrique Iglesias

_Distance _by Christina Perri

_The Words _by Christina Perri

_All of Me _by John Legend

_Fall for You _by Secondhand Seronade

_Wonderwall _by Oasis

_Stay _by Rihanna

_Inside Your Heaven _by Carrie Underwood

"Castle?" The sound of her voice makes him look up. He sees the alarm shining in her eyes instantly as she reaches for her phone. Her sudden outburst has the boys turning in their direction as she takes in what he has open, what he's seen.

Much like he almost did, she's practically chocking on nothing as tears spring to her eyes. He really should of thought better of opening that playlist. Now he's upset her, now she's angry. Now, the wall is probably going back up.

"You okay, Beckett?" calls Esposito. She looks over at him, the tears in her eyes threatening to spill over. He knows she hates letting her coworkers see her like this, upset and vulnerable. So he's not surprised when she nods, all while grabbing his wrist and pulling him from his seat.

She drags him into the break room, practically slamming the door shut behind them. She crosses her arms over her chest, leaning against the door and regarding him angrily.

"What the hell, Castle? What were you doing on my phone?" she asks, her anger evident in her voice, the volume spoken louder than she usually speaks. He's not surprised. They've been doing nothing but fight for the past weeks, since he found out she _knows. _

"I was bored. I forgot mine at home this morning. And you were just doing paperwork. I was just looking for a song to listen to," he tells her, trying to sound as calm as possible even though he's really scared.

They've been practically walking on eggshells for the past weeks, and one wrong move could absolutely ruin everything. The last thing he needs right now is for her to kick him out of her life completely, especially considering he now knows that she has feelings for him, too.

"So you decide to go through _that _playlist, Castle? How could you?" she asks, emotion far beyond anger seeping into her voice as she uncrossed her arms and covers her face with her hands. She doesn't succeed before he sees the blush covering her cheeks, evidence of her embarrassment. He feels the instant need to comfort her.

"There's no need to be embarrassed, Kate," he tells her, the use of her first name surprising her. He's been angry and calling her nothing but _Beckett _for the past few weeks—she never thought she'd hate hearing her last name so much. It surprises her so much that she lets her hands fall from her face.

He's standing closer to her now, their bodies only about a foot apart. Part of her wants to reach out and grab his face and kiss him, let him _feel _what she feels, the feelings that those songs bring out of her. The other part of her wants to run, even though her wall is now rubble, thanks to him.

"I have one, too, about you," he admits, taking another step towards her. "Actually, it has some of the same songs," he adds. She sees the way he looks to the side, as if remembering the list on her phone, mentally comparing it to the one on his.

The proximity, the admittance, the pounding of her heart—it's all making it so difficult to not just pounce on his in the middle of the precinct's break room.

"Which ones?" she asks instead, head tilting upwards to slightest to lock their gazes as he turns to look at her again. She can see the love in her eyes, can feel the love in her own.

She finds herself gravitating towards him, the inexplicable, unmissable magnetic force between them—the one that had been absent for the first time in four years during their fights these past few weeks—pulling her towards him, drawing her gaze to his lips as he speaks.

"May I, I'll Be, Hero." His voice is barely above a whisper as he leans in as well, his lips only about an inch from hers.

She's the one that finally closes the distance between them—somehow, she always knew it would be her that pressed their lips together for the first time. He responds instantly, though, lips moving against hers in a surprisingly slow and leisurely and _loving _pace.

She's surprised to find that the love in his kiss doesn't scare her at all. In fact, it's quite the opposite. It thrills her to know that he still loves her, even after everything, even after all these months. Besides, she loves him, too. So really, it's just thrilling and at the same time oddly comforting to know he returns her feelings.

As the kiss begins to get overly heated for the workplace—really, they shouldn't be kissing in the precinct at all—she pulls away, her hands that have wrapped around his neck remaining in place, much like his around her waist. She doesn't want to let go just yet, and apparently he doesn't either. She sighs in contentment as his forehead rests against hers, his breathing slightly shallow, much like hers.

"We need to talk," she manages to say. He only nods, slightly in order to keep their heads pressed together. "Tonight, my place?" He nods again.

She slowly lets her hands slide out from around his neck, pausing at his shoulders to press another, quicker kiss to his lips. His hands slowly slip from around her waist, the touching ending completely as she opens the door.

This is all to knew, and it's not time to bring the boys into it just yet.

That plans shot down the minute Esposito looks up at them, already rolling his eyes.

"Yo, Beckett, Castle, care to lose the 'I'm so getting laid tonight' look? It's kinda grossing me out."

She knows she doesn't manage to lose the look, and neither does he.


	30. prompt 30: lover boy

**Prompt from chorwitz114 here on fanfiction: Beckett and Castle meet up sometime way before season 1 and have Alexis, and Kates messes with him a bit during their first case. ****_  
_**

**_So, this doesn't really follow the prompt much, cuz I couldn't find a way to write a short ficlet using it. Instead of Kate messing with Castle, everyone else is messing with them (especially her) because they know that they're together and have a daughter. I hope you enjoy it anyway. Also, for the sake of the story, Alexis is actually like 5 at the time of the series premiere._  
**

**_This really didn't work out the way I had hoped. Sorry._**

* * *

The minute she sees the crime scene, she knows, and lets it slip.

"Don't you guys read?" The tone of her voice is slightly condescending, and she hears it just as much as the boys do.

It's not really her fault, though. She personally loves to read, and the book this crime scene was taken from is one of her favorites.

She's probably biased, though.

"Oh," says Ryan, stretching out the single syllable in an annoyingly teasing way, a smirk coming across his face as he turns to face Esposito. She kinda wants to go smack it off his face. "It's from one of lover boy's books."

She rolls her eyes, even though they all know that Ryan's right, it is from one of Castle's book.

"Stop calling him that."

"Yeah, Ryan. Don't you know she prefers when we call him writer boy," says Esposito, elbowing his partner slightly and looking at her teasingly.

She rolls her eyes again. "Can't you guys just call him Rick, or Castle? Or, know what, we could _not _talk about my love life while on the job, like I _asked_," she says, looking back down at the body in order to keep herself from smiling. A secret part of her likes talking about him.

"But, Beckett," whines Espo, like a two-year-old, line a _whiny _two-year-old. "That's no _fun._"_  
_

She fights the strong urge to tell him he whines more than her five-year-old daughter _ever _has, knowing that mentioning Alexis, her daughter with Castle, would only get them going again.

"You know, he might be able to help with the case," says Ryan suddenly. She's not sure whether he's saying that in teasing partner mode or in detective mode. "Want us to go pick him up?"

She knows that's in teasing partner mode. "No!" she says, too quickly for it to seem like an innocent statement. "I'll go pick him up. He has a book launch party tonight. Less people will question if I go. Even though I try to stay out of the public eye, they all know who I am," she tries to cover.

Both boys know that she just doesn't want them teasing him.

"_Fine, _Beckett. You go pick up lover boy. And tell him we can't wait to see him again."

She just rolls her eyes and leaves the crime scene, hopping into her car to drive off to his book party.

She tries to get into the party without drawing much attention to herself, thankful that the men running security recognize her and know not to make a racket about her arrival. Being the author's girlfriend and mother of his child does have it's perks.

She finds him quickly, the loud, blond bombshell that is his manager, Gina, instantly drawing her attention. She finds herself rolling her eyes again—Gina has always rubbed her the wrong way—but soon smiling at the sight of Castle talking to Alexis, despite the rush of fans wanting to talk to him.

He's such a good dad.

"Mommy!" Alexis' voice is enthusiastic but oddly soft, as if she knows her mother doesn't want to get noticed. She goes over and wraps her up in a hug, thankful for the fact that the cameras rarely come back here. Rick has always been great at accepting her wishes of keeping their daughter out of the press as much as possible all while being the stay-at-home dad that they agreed he'd be.

Esposito and Ryan might know the guy on page 6, and tease her for being with him. But she knows the amazing man and father that would never cheat on her, no matter how many women's chests he signs and that will always be there for their little girl.

"What are you doing here, mommy?" asks Alexis, pulling away as she settle back on the bar stool she had been sitting on.

"I'm actually here for work, pumpkin," she says, keeping her voice low in order to keep anyone nearby from hearing her. Her being at Rick's parties is rare in the first place. But her being at Rick's parties while on the job has never happened before.

"Work?" he pipes in suddenly as she feels his hand set itself low on her back. She turns to face him and smiles, fighting the urge to press a kiss to his lips upon seeing the smile gracing them.

"I'll tell you about it later," she says softly, a small and discreet tilt of the head in Alexis' direction telling him that she doesn't want her to hear what's going on. "I do need you to come to the precinct with me."

His brows furrow in confusion, only slightly but enough for her to see. After over five years of being his girlfriend and the mother of his child, since that one-night stand after a party rather similar to this one that she somehow got herself roped into that made her show up at his door a few weeks later in order to tell him that he knocked her up.

It's still the best thing that's ever happened to her.

"Gina? Could you stay with Alexis? And find my mother, tell her she can't pick up some random guy 'cause she needs to bring her granddaughter home soon," he asks his publisher, the busty blonde that Kate had never been a fan of. This moment doesn't change that opinion, as she looks between the two of them, an amused smirk coming across her perfectly pink lips.

"Booty call?"

"No. Work," says Kate simple, raising her eyebrows, waiting a response on whether or not she'd watch Alexis until she found Martha. Upon her nod, Castle takes her hand and leads her outside through the back, to keep them from being seen.

The ride to the precinct is relatively silent, the faint music he put on the only sound between them. She lets herself hold his hand, though, since the boys aren't here to watch and tease.

As soon as she brings the car to a stop, placing it in the park with a twist of her wrist, she turns and presses a soft kiss to his lips.

"Don't say too much in there. The boys will never let me live this down," she warns him. He smiles and nods, following her out of the car.

Of course, as soon as they emerge from the elevator on the homicide floor, the boys have something to say.

"Oh, there you are, lover boy."

"Please tell me she didn't let you grope her in the elevator."

Castle reaches over and runs hand along her side dramatically, not hiding it from anyone including her Captain, who raises his eyebrows at them.

"You guys will never know," he teases, squeezing her hip quickly and pulling his hand away so she doesn't pull out her gun. She threatens shoot him way too often for their relationship to be considered healthy, and yet it still is.

The boys groan at his response softly, her own groan echoing with theirs.

"Beckett, bring lover boy into a different room before he grosses us out. As good looking as you are, we really don't need to know much about your _relationship_," says Esposito.

"Yeah, Beckett. We know you're like head over heels in love with lover boy and all, but we really don't need to know any details."

"I thought I told you guys to stop calling him _lover boy._"


	31. prompt 31: his playlist

**Prompt from CassieCastle47 here on fanfiction: Could you do one where they talk and he shows Beckett his playlist. (A companion to Prompt 29: the playlist).**

* * *

The day goes by slower than any day ever has before. Her mind keeps wandering away from their crime scene and onto what might go down tonight in the privacy of her apartment. She can't keep herself from thinking about the things she'll have to admit, the things she'll have to say and explain. And then she finds herself thinking about what might happen after that, if everything goes well.

The staring she's grown accustomed to over the years has become much more like ogling since the kiss earlier, and it's not helping her keep her thoughts clean.

Not that she would be succeeding, anyway.

She keeps letting her mind wander, feels her cheeks, neck and ear warm as the blood rushes to them. Feels his eyes on her, completely arousing and making her blush deeper.

And then there's Ryan and Esposito who keep reminding them of the 'I'm so getting laid tonight' look, telling them to lose it. It just makes her groan in annoyance, because she'll never succeed at losing it today and she knows it. Castle makes them groan when he points out that every time they bring up the look, it reminds them that they _are _so getting laid tonight.

She tries to laugh, but him saying it so clearly just makes her want to groan for a reason completely different than Ryan and Espo.

When they finally get to leave, she doesn't even try to hide the extra pep in her step, or the way she makes sure he's following right behind her. She's not even gonna pretend she doesn't absolutely _need _him to come home with her tonight. And she's definitely going to ignore the fake gagging coming from Ryan and Esposito as she kisses him before the elevator doors even close.

They stop at his place quickly, together. The smile on her face in permanent and revealing and the minute Martha sees her she tells her to _enjoy _her night. She doesn't even try to deny it, knowing Castle is packing an overnight bag in his room, but blushes anyway. Your...whatever Rick is' mother should _never _tell you to enjoy a night of what will surely be the mind-blowing reality that will surely exceed her dreams.

He makes sure he has his phone before they leave for her place.

The romantic part of her really hates the fact that their first time is hard and fast against her front door, their shirts still hanging on their shoulders, her pants off only because she needed to wrap her legs around his waist, his pants around his ankles and her from clasping bra still on, only undone.

The other part of her knows that it's absolutely perfect for them, four years of built up passion finally released, sloppy and hot and everything everyone ever thought it would be, everything her wildest dreams entail.

She decides, as she redresses herself so they can actually _talk _without getting overly distracted, that it was perfect for _them_ and everything a romantic movie would never use.

She gets them both a glass of wine as he sits on the couch. She hands him his as she sits next to him, reaching for his phone without speaking a word. She types in his pass code quickly, _1234, _because only Castle would use something that lame.

She has to admit, she's half surprised to find that he actually _does _have a playlist dedicated to her, and that _May I, __Hero _and _I'll Be_ are all on it, just like he said, among a bunch others.

"_Love Struck _by V Factory?" She laughs, not waiting for his reply. She knows the song suits the more sexual side of their relationship. Then she turns serious as she reads over a few other ones, more serious ones. "_I Won't Give Up_? _I'd Love to be Your Last_?" she almost chokes on the words, because that says a lot about what he wants in this relationship.

If she's being honest, it's exactly what she wants in this relationship, too.

"Yeah," he says simply, letting her continue to scan over the list, much longer than her own. "Kate, it's true. I want to be your last. And if that's not what you want-"

"No, Rick," she cuts him off, looking up from the phone to lock her eyes on his. "That's..._exactly _what I want. And it scares me. That's why I-"

"You lied." It's his turn to cut her off, making her eyes widen as she realizes he _knows. _"I heard you tell the suspect during the bombing case, that you remember every second of it." She nods. She was going to tell him tonight, anyway. "Why, Kate?"

"The wall, Rick. I wasn't ready to face it, to _acknowledge _it, yet. I wanted to be okay for you, _whole _instead of broken. And now..." she trails, dropping his phone to her lap and reaching over to take her hands in his. "Now, I'm ready, Rick. You... _you_ knocked down the wall."

A smile comes across his face at her emphasis of the word _you_. She smiles back, happy he got the point, glad that he knows that it's all because of _him _that she's ready for this, for love, to be with him.

"I did? You're ready?" he asks, his voice holding a tone of disbelief, as if he can't believe that he heard her right. She squeezes his hands in reassurance, to make sure that he _knows _she's telling the truth.

"You knocked down the wall, Rick, and now I'm ready. I can have the relationship that I want, that I told you I couldn't have a few months ago," she promises, leaning forward in her seat and moving to sit closer to him.

"And you want that, _with me_?" he asks, his voice still holding a hint of disbelief. She fights the urge to roll her eyes and playfully slap him, knowing he's dead serious with these insecurities.

"You saw the playlist. It's named after you, isn't it? I want that, _with you_, Rick," she promises, squeezing his hands once again. "I told you. I want to be your last."

He leans over and presses a kiss to her lips as she finishes her sentence. The kiss is filled with an almost overwhelming amount of love, with a promise to be each other's lasts. Her arms wrap around his neck, holding him close, holding his lips to hers so he can't break the sweet embrace of their lips just yet. She needs the promise, needs the reminder that this is real as much as he does.

She's waited so long to be ready for this, to be with him, to finally have him, to finally be able to tell him everything she wants to. So, when he pulls away she does just that.

"I love you."

"I love you, too, Kate, so much." His eyes are filled with the love he speaks of, the love she feels whenever she's in his presence, the love she feels in his kiss, every single time.

She pulls him back to her for another kiss, long and languid and perfect.

It makes the four years they've waited completely worth it.


	32. prompt 32: interruptions

**Prompt from sarahspencer125 here on fanfiction: Kate has something she wants to tell Rick, but she keeps getting interrupted by other people in Rick's life (Alexis, Martha, Gina, etc). _The rest will be posted at the end as to not give it away._**

* * *

The first time she tries to tell his, she takes his hand and leads him to the living room couch.

His eyebrows furrow in confusion as she pushes him down onto the couch, hands on his shoulders, before taking a seat next to him, muttering that they need to talk. He reaches for her hand the moment she sits down, one leg up on the soft cushion, knee digging into the back of the couch, the other hanging of the side so she can face him as she speaks.

"Are you okay, Kate?" are the first words he says, his blue eyes locking on her green ones, boring into her like only his ever have.

She only nods, not yet ready to speak. She initiated this conversation, yet she somehow needs him to start it.

"I know you haven't been feeling well," he says next, letting his eyes fall to her stomach, the centre of her discomfort and illness for the past week.

He has no idea how glad she is that he pointed it out, giving her the perfect way to tell him.

"I know. So, I went-"

Before she can finish her sentence, the door bursts open to loud, giggling redheads, interrupting them, not giving her the chance to tell him what he desperately needs to know.

She loves Martha and Alexis—they're family, after all—but they have a tendency to walk in at the worst of moments. (It's embarrassing to admit that she can't even _count _the amount of times that either his mother or daughter have walked in on them).

Oblivious to the situation at hand, they start rambling about the movie Alexis is burrowing from a friend for the evening. Castle had looked over still her, wordlessly asking her if they needed to go somewhere else to talk, a glimmer of worry shining in his eyes, an all too familiar sparkle that breaks her heart.

He really has no reason to worry.

"It's fine. It can wait," she whispers, in order to keep the words from being heard by his family.

It can wait. It really can, she tells herself over and over pas the movie plays on the background.

It doesn't wait long, only until the next morning when she wakes up to find him watching her, blue eyes following her every move as her muscles come back to life after a night of surprisingly deep sleep.

She's also pleasantly surprised to find that the churning in her stomach that's awoken her every single day for the past week or so is not the reason she's awake this morning. The nausea is minimal, not enough to send her running to the bathroom like it often has. She smiles at this new realization alone.

"So, last night..." are the first words out of his mouth,making her lift her head off his chest to meet his eyes.

She had never been a cuddler, until she met her husband. It makes her feel safe rather than vulnerable and weak when she's wrapped in his arms, a stark contrast to the way it used to make her feel.

"Yeah, uh..." she hesitates, unsure as to whether or not it's appropriate to have this conversation while they both have morning breath and a hazy mind from sleep.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asks. His fingers trailing up and down her side, feather light touches through the thin material of her—his, really—cotton shirt.

"Uh, yeah." She presses her hand against his chest to push herself up a bit before placing it on the bed between his side and arm, her pinky finger grazing the his bicep. A smile comes across her face as she locks her eyes on his. "I'm-"

"Kiddos!" Martha's almost obnoxiously loud and shrill voice cuts through the quiet of their bedroom, effectively cutting her off.

That ends the conversation, leaving her announcement for another time.

She doesn't try again until two days later—surprising herself with her control—when she has the day off, in order to avoid any body drops, an

She lets her forehead fall to his chest, feels his hand stop it's movements and squeeze her side gently, sending a glare in his mother's direction as the eccentric red-head appears in the doorway.

"Oh! No need to be embarrassed, darling. I won't be getting any new grandchildren any other way, now will I?" asks Martha, punctuating her sentence with a laugh that makes Kate groan. "I just wanted to let you know that Detective Ryan called. He told me to write down an address. It's on the kitchen counter for when you're ready, dear. I'm sure he can wait until you two are...finished." And with that, she turns and disappears, a blur of color following her.

"Come on," she says as soon as her mother-in-law is out of earshot. "We have a body drop." She pushes herself up onto her knees before crawling off the bed to start getting ready.

"But, Kate." It's all he needs to say.

"It can wait, Castle. Murders don't." The moment is ruined anyway, the gentle calm of the morning having left upon Martha's arrival.d Martha and Alexis are both out for the day.

She doesn't get the chance to try and tell him for another two days, the morning that starts off their weekend, and her day off. Martha and Alexis are out for the day, and no cases will interrupt, she decides.

She once again finds herself pushing him down onto the couch, telling him they need to talk. The worry that had been shining in his eyes every other time she brought it up returning in full force as she once again takes her seat next to him.

"Are you okay, Kate? Please tell me your not really sick or anything. I thought you were feeling a bit better, so I didn't ask. I know your stomach's still a bit upset, though?" he begins rambling as soon as she sitting. She reaches over and takes his hand, squeezing it gently to comfort him.

"I'm not sick, Rick," she promises, locking her eyes on his to make sure he knows she's telling the truth. He squeezes her hand this time.

"Good." She smiles at his worry for her well-being.

"Actually, I-"

His phone rings.

She closes her eyes and fights the strong urge to let out a huff of frustration as he shoots her an apologetic look and answers, greeting _Gina, _of all people, as he does. Nothing ruins the moment like your husband talking to his ex-wife, she grumbles internally.

He ends up having to go in for a last minute meeting with Black Pawn, regarding his latest book, _Hamptons Heat. _She fights the groan that threatens to slip from her throat, because she knows he's almost done, knows the book is great and knows that he's going to hate this meeting anyway.

He would of much preferred hearing the news she can't seem to find the time to tell him.

She ends up spending her day with Lanie, shopping for an outfit for her friend's latest date with one Detective Esposito, narrowly escaping a line of questioning on why she's so undeniably grumpy—she blames it on her stomach, which is truly only a half-lie. And then she even more narrowly escapes a girls' night at the bar by telling Lanie she really hasn't been feeling well and really doesn't need to be hungover tomorrow, especially with work. They end up going back to Lanie's place and watching cheesy romantic comedies instead, her glass of wine remaining untouched on the doctor's coffee table.

She doesn't really talk to him until the next afternoon, besides the goodbye and see you later she tells him on her way out the door. By the time she got in from Lanie's he had been asleep. And when she woke up he was typing away at his computer, finishing up the revisions for the final chapters of his book.

He arrives at the precinct just past one o'clock, handing her a cup of coffee that she doesn't drink from. She doesn't really greet him, either, pretending to be interested in her paperwork.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist nor a detective to figure out that she's actually giving him the cold shoulder over something that has really been out of his control.

"Kate? Why are you upset, love?" he asks suddenly, voice soft as his hand reaches out to rest on her upper-arm. She looks up and simply shrugs, mumbling an 'I'm not' under her breath.

"What did I say about pet names in the precinct, Castle?" she says instead, still staring at the annoying form, getting blurred as annoyingly persistent tears threaten to well in her eyes.

Oh, she's so _not _going to cry over this.

"Not to use the. But Kate, you're upset. What did I do? Just please, tell me. I'll try to fix it," he says, his voice holding a hint of desperation along with a hint of confusion. He really doesn't know, not that he should.

Her anger is actually rather irrational, and she knows that, even as the tears fill her eyes and she pushes herself up from her desk chair, sending it rolling into Karpowski's desk.

"You want to know what you did, Castle?" she practically shouts, bringing all eyes to her, uniforms and detectives all staring along with witnesses and family members. Even Gates emerges from her office.

He nods violently fast as he pushes himself to a standing position, not daring reaching out to touch her with anger radiating off her.

"I've been trying to tell you that I'm pregnant for nearly a week, and you barely have the time to listen!"

Everyone freezes, her hands flying to cover her mouth as if she can force the words back in, his jaw hitting the ground. An awkward silence replaces the anger that had been lingering in the air as everyone just watches to see his reaction.

"You're...you're pregnant?" he manages to get out, his question holding an excitement she's never seen in him before. It's cute, and the anger quickly fades to sheer love as everyone else in the precinct seems to disappear. She reaches out to h=take his hand in one of hers, her over one reaching up to cup his jaw in her palm, the stubble there scratching at her skin.

"Yeah. I'm pregnant," she says, her voice soft and filled with an awe it's never, ever held before as it hits her for the first time.

She's really pregnant. They're really having a baby.

Before she can even think of saying anything else, his arms are wrapped around her and holding her tightly against him, his hug almost crushing as he holds her torso against his and her head against his neck. She finds herself breathing in his scent, wrapping her own arms around him and enjoying the obviously joyous reaction. She can't help but revel in the fact that their _baby_ is safe between them, inside her.

It's the clapping of their co-workers that eventually makes them part, but not by much. Wolf whistles sound throughout the precinct as their closest friends pat him on the back and envelope her in congratulatory hugs. She struggles to release him in order to accept Ryan's embrace.

It takes a few minutes before everyone remembers they have jobs to do, detectives once again taking seats at their respective desks—except Espo and Ryan, the latter accepting a fifty dollar bill from his partner—and the uniforms spreading across the room like students caught eavesdropping on their teachers.

She can't bring herself to sit down, though, not willing to let go of her husband now that their both basking in post-pregnancy-announcement glory. He pulls her into his side, arms resting on her waist, fingers dancing near her stomach, where their baby rests. She rests her head against his shoulder, the fingers of her left hand intertwining with his, the other arm wrapped around his waist.

Their Captain is still standing there, watching them.

"Congratulations, Detective, Mr. Castle," she says, a smile coming across her face. "You both deserve this."

"Thanks," says Kate softly, nuzzling her face deeper into her husband as she smiles back joyfully, completely content.

"Now, both of you, take the day off, talk, enjoy, celebrate and I'll see you guys tomorrow, on desk duty from here on out, detective," she says, a hint of teasing tainting the seriousness of her statement as Kate rolls her eyes at the idea of being stuck at her desk for nine more months. "No complaints. It's for the well-being of you and your child."

"Of course, sir."

"Thank you, sir"

They leave still wrapped in each other's arms, many people still watching, fascinated by the scene that just when down. One of their hardest detectives just lost her temper and blurted out to her partner and husband that she's pregnant. That definitely doesn't happen every day.

Neither does her letting him kiss her in the elevator, the whole bullpen watching in amazement.

Then again, the day Kate Beckett tells Richard Castle that they're expecting their first child doesn't exactly qualify as _everyday._

* * *

**Kate gets so exasperated that she ends up yelling at him that she's pregnant in the middle of the bullpen.**


	33. prompt 33: the lovers

**Prompt from Clarkson124 here on fanfiction: continue this one [prompt 30: lover boy].**

* * *

Thankful doesn't even begin to describe how glad she is that she manages to keep him away from the boys for the majority of the day, as they go through 'fan mail' from extremely deranged fans.

Disturbed doesn't even begin to describe the way she feels as she reads the letters that so-called 'fans' send him. She's a fan of his work, and she doesn't send him letter about the way his books almost make her wish that murder was illegal—not that they do. They definitely don't.

She also finds herself rather frightened, not as a a detective, but as his girlfriend, as she reads threatening letters from other deranged people, even though she knows that most people who send this kind of letter would never actually go through with it.

Annoyed is the only word to describe how she feels the moment they emerge from the interrogation room where they had been working and the boys greet them as detective and lover boy.

She'll never hear the end of it, she concludes.

The drive to their suspect's apartment is long in the midst of rush hour, and she finds herself glad that the boys are taking a separate car. It allows her to hold his hand and press a quick kiss to his lips every time she ends up stuck at a standstill. They don't get to spend nearly enough time together this time of year—murderers and book parties steal all their time.

That is, until she realizes the boys are right behind them and gets a text from Esposito.

_*kiss*_

She simply rolls her eyes, typing out her reply before the car in front of he moves.

**_Shut up!_**

Rick watches, amused, as she grumbles at the instant reply.

_We can go get him so you two can keep making out._

_**It was 1 kiss.**_

The heat rushes to her cheeks at his next reply.

_Yeah, at every stop. Want more, lover girl?_

She doesn't reply, just stuffs the phone beck into her pocket. Yeah, she hates that nickname even more than she hates lover boy for him. At least he doesn't have to work with them every single day.

"I like watching you work," he says at the next stop. She fights the urge to smile and kiss him again, knowing the boys are still right behind him.

"Murders aren't too gross for you, _Castle_?" she says, to fight the urge. She's used to having to downplay the PDA, just not in her car. He's quickly distracted by his name.

"Oh... That's hot. You should call me that more often," he says, thumb reaching up to rub a circle into her wrist.

"I'm not going to call you Castle at home, Rick. It's a work thing," she says, pressing her foot down on the gas pedal as traffic begins to move again.

"Well, I could work with you more often," he suggests eventually, as if he had been thinking about it long and hard. "I get lonely at home when Alexis is at school, and mother always gets home right before Alexis."

She just shrugs, not bothering to say anything. He jokes about coming to work with her all the time.

"I know!" he shouts suddenly, as she finally pulls up at their suspects apartment building. "I could base my next book on you, _Beckett_!"

"Don't call me that. That's what Ryan and Esposito call me," she tells him, desperate to hide the fact that she really has to agree, hearing him call her by her surname is really hot.

"No. The boys call you lover girl now," he points out, making her shoot a glare in his direction.

"Whatever. Just...stay here, okay? Suspects can be dangerous," she tells him as the boys finally pull up behind them. He nods, giving her a scouts honor—was he ever a scout?—as she hops out of the car and leaves him there alone, joining the boys on the sidewalk outside the rather tall building to her left.

"No kiss for lover boy?" asks Espo, teasing her once again.

"He can wait. You guys ready?" she asks, playing unfazed even though she's getting really tired of the jokes.

The apartment is empty, a final 'clear!' sounding in the small area, bouncing off the walls like it always does. And then a 'hey' echoes in her ear and she snaps around to find him standing right behind her.

"You promised you'd stay in the car!" she hisses.

"I was never a scout," he argues with a shrug, walking past her and into the bedroom. "Whoa. I do have a deranged fan," he says as he takes in the shrine their suspect dedicated to him. She can't help the shudder that runs down her spine, the shrine hitting too close to home, making her wonder if their suspect will ever try and go after her boyfriend.

He catches it, walks over to her and squeezes her shoulder gently, giving her comfort in a way only he can. She hopes he gets her unspoken thank you.

That night, at home, after Alexis has gone to bed, he keeps insisting they have the wrong guy. At first, she denies it, the evidence says that they have the guy. But eventually, his insight turns out to be incredibly helpful, and they come to the agreement that they do, in fact, have the wrong guy.

The boys tease her mercilessly about it the next day when she reluctantly admits that Rick was the one who figured it out.

"Lover boy a cop now?" asks Esposito as she takes a seat at her desk.

"You know Beckett's got it bad when she takes the word of a writer over what the evidence says," adds Ryan, smiling at her, amused, before going back to his own work.

Neither one of them are laughing when Rick solves their case.

And she's doing anything but laughing when their murderer, one of their victim's brother, is holding a gun to his throat. And Rick is doing everything your training tells you not to do when someone's holding you at gunpoint, taunting him. It takes everything in her to treat this scenario the way she would treat it if he were Ryan or Esposito, to not break down the way she desperately wants to.

So, the second she has their guilty party in cuffs and is finished chastising him for almost getting himself killed, she can't help but crawl over to give him a kiss, tell him she loves him and that she's so glad he's okay.

And then Ryan and Espo walk around the corner.

"Oh... Lover boy is getting a kiss from lover girl," she hear Espo say, making her pull away and bury her face in his chest in order to keep them from seeing her blush.

"Just grab him," she mutters, motioning the handcuffed man with a tilt of her head.

"Fine. You guys should come join us at the precinct, though. You know, when your done making out and all," says Ryan, reaching over her for their suspect.

As soon as they're gone, she plants a few more kisses on his lips, long and languid and a promise for the night to come. He's the one who decides they should get up and head to the precinct before the boys get any ideas, as if the boys don't already have crazy ideas.

That night, she admits that it was fun having him at the precinct, wrapped in his arms, her naked body pressed flush against his. He once again mentions that he did kill off Derek Storm and needs a new main protagonist, that she'd make great inspiration for one. She just laughs it off, her mind hazy as sleep begins to take over.

The next morning, she's only half-surprised to hear that he's basing his new book on her. It's more of a shock that he needs to do research and will be following her around at work every day.

The boys get a good laugh out of it, her being his muse. The whole precinct nicknames them 'Team Lovers'.

After another day spent with him by her side, though, she decides that she can deal with the nickname if it means she gets to see him more often.


	34. prompt 34: knockdown

**Prompt from BurningxRedxCaskett here on fanfiction: can you do a re-write of the ending of Knockdown where Dr. Motorcycle Boy leaves the picture sooner than 4x01 and Kate and Rick talk about where they stand after the kiss.**

* * *

He's carefully unwrapping his bandaged hand when she climbs into the ambulance, taking a seat across from him, her heels clicking against the metal floor of the vehicle.

He looks up to see the smile on her face. It's contagious, and one comes across his face as well. He's just glad she's okay, and not laying on the warehouse's floor with a bullet in her head.

He'd beat up Lockwood a hundred times over, no matter how much his hand hurts, just to see her smile like this one more time.

"Hey, Chuck Norris," she greets him, the joke sounding like something he would say, and he finds himself chuckling softly at it along with her.

The bandage around his hand is tight, too tight, and he struggles to unwrap it only to wrap it up again. His fingers are unsteady, though, and it makes the tight material rub against the scrapes beneath it, causing the flesh the burn at the contact. He winces and pauses his movements, looking down at his injured hand, the white that's wrapped around it.

"How's the hand?" she asks softly as he feels her index loop through the thin white material and pull gently, her hands much more steady and fingers much more nimble than his.

"Ah... excruciating," he answers honestly, the way she wraps the bandage carefully making the process a lot less painful. "How's Ryan and Esposito?" They're really the ones they should be worried about.

He hurt his hand. They were tortured only a couple hours ago.

"Oh, mild hypothermia, wounded pride," she answers softly, eyes locked on her work, as a hint of a smile comes across her face. Everyone's glad that that's really all that's wrong. Things could be much, much worse, and they all know it. "Guess which one's gonna heal first."

He looks up, letting his eyes scan her face, the smile on her lips, the focus in her eyes as she finishes re-wrapping his hand, tucking the end of the white bandage under the rest of it carefully, trying not to hurt him, running her thumbs over it to smooth down any lumps in her handiwork. She brings her hands back to her own lap as he brings his up a bit, hovering right over his heart.

Her eyes lock on his, a smile in them like he almost never sees, the joy in them matching the small and sweet closed-lip smile that has the corners of her mouth turned upwards.

He once again finds it contagious, finds himself smiling back at her in what he hopes is a just as happy and content way.

"Thank you, for having my back in there," she speaks softly, from the heart. She's not used to people having her back the way he does, she's used to fending for herself. But this time she knows, had he not been in there, she'd be dead.

"Always," he responds just as softly, honestly.

The sincerity makes her look away quickly, makes her heart pound in her chest, makes her emotions spiral out of control. With every day that passes, she finds herself falling for him a little more, can feel what can only be described as love slowly growing for her partner. And with the kiss earlier, the one that she almost got lost in, that makes her wish there was no guard to knock out so she _could of _just gotten lost in the feel of his warm, wet lips against hers. And then he goes and saves her life, knocks out a shooter, keeps her from getting shot and she can't help but let her heart swell with the love she's been trying to deny for months, _years_ even.

But now, she finds that a part of her really doesn't want to deny it.

And that part seems to dominate as she turns to once again lock her eyes one his, green meeting blue like land meets water, the perfect mix, yin and yang, not nearly as good apart.

"You were right, you know," she says, her voice even softer than before, shyness coming over her like it only ever has once before—and then Gina had to show up and ruin everything she spent days working up the nerves to do. This time, though, there is no Gina, and Josh is out of the picture—apparently even cardiac surgeons can spot the feelings she has for her partner—and it's just the two of them, alone, in the back of an ambulance after a long day.

His brows knot together in confusion, the corners of his lips still tilted upwards in the slightest of smiles.

"It was amazing," she explains, his words from earlier falling off her lips as a weight falls off her shoulders. There's no going back now.

"The way you knocked him out?" he asks, his voice soft and half-teasing, half-serious, as if he's scared to jump to the wrong conclusion, doesn't want to look too in depth into her statement.

She hates the way he doubts himself like that when it comes to her, her feelings for him.

"No, the kiss. It was amazing," she admits, a blush rising to her cheeks at her own words as his eyes widen in shock at her statement, as if it's the last thing he expected.

"Really?" he asks, his voice filled with wonder, awe. She nods slowly, her lips still turned upwards in a smile. Last time she tried to tell him how she felt, things major backfired on her. This time, the only thing that can mess this up is him rejecting her. And based on the sound of his voice, she seriously doubts that's going to happen. His smile widens, his eyes gaining a teasing sparkle she recognizes all too well. "You moaned, you know."

"I know," she groans, burying her face in her hands in order to hide the crimson blush she can feel on her cheeks, her skin warm because of it. "I almost forgot about the guard for a minute."

"I did forget about him, Kate," he tells her, a laugh slipping from his throat as she looks up with a widened smile, flushed cheeks. "I've been wanting to kiss you for so long."

"I know," she whispers, even more quietly than before. "Me too."

"But, Kate, I don't want it to be a one time thing. I wasn't going to bring it up, but now that you did, you should know that I want to kiss you again," he admits, a slight blush rising to his cheeks at his own admittance. "And I know you're with Dr. Motor-"

"We broke up," she interrupts him right away, not wanting Josh to come up in this conversation. "Apparently he didn't like that I..." she trails off as she realizes what she's going to admit.

"You what, Kate?" he asks, his good hand reaching out to take one of hers.

"He didn't like that I had feelings for you, not that he should. He dumped me over it," she admits softly, meeting his wide blue eyes.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It was never going to work. He was right, I wanted someone else," she smiles at him, knowing he knows who she's talking about, that she's talking about him.

"So, you wanna give this a shot?" he asks, hand squeezing hers as if he's scared she'll say no now.

She doesn't even think of denying it, just stands up and leans over so her lips are a mere inch from his.

"Yes," she whispers, so soft she's not even sure he hears her. The kiss she presses to her lips is an answer in itself, anyway.


	35. prompt 35: family

**Prompt from eprofilio here on fanfiction: Caskett's kid and Esplanie's or Ryan's kid are dating, but the parents don't know 'til they tell them that they are expecting.**

* * *

She leans into her boyfriends arms, hands covering her face as she buries it into his strong chest. His arms wrap around her instantly, supportive and comforting and everything she needs right about now.

This wasn't planned, of course. She's only twenty-one, still in law school and way too busy to possibly plan to have a baby. But it is happening, the doctor confirmed it this morning.

And she's not really sure how she feels about this.

Josie Castle has always been safe, careful, like her mother and older sisters—her older brother is another story—and she hates being out of control. Now, she has absolutely no control over the situation.

She's twenty-one and pregnant, her boyfriend of only six months here to support her, like he always has been.

"My dad's going to be so mad," she says, the tears in her eyes making the words sound forced, and their muffled by his chest. "Lucas, he's going to want to kill me, or you. What if he wants to kill you?"

His hand runs down her spine, fingers soothing the worry little by little.

"He's not going to kill us, Jo. Don't forget, your mom is Captain of the homicide division. She's not going to let him kill us, no matter how much he wants to," he says, comforting her while teasing her, a way only he has ever mastered with her.

Even though they've only been _together _for six months, they have a lifetime of memories and friendship as the foundation for this relationship. It's what makes it all work out.

"We have to tell them, Luca. Soon, please. I want to tell them soon," she says, pulling herself away from him to meet his eyes, her pale green ones so different from his dark ones.

She can't help but wonder which ones their baby will have.

"Then we'll tell them soon. We just have to get them all together," he tells her, hand still running over the lower part of her spine.

"I've got it handled," she says softly, the mischievous glint she gets from her father shining in her eyes.

Sure enough, over the week she convinces them to invite Lucas' family over for dinner, his parents and younger twin sisters, Sofia and Daniela. Her brother is joining them, too, even though Taylor can't as she's still in California. Alexis can't come either, which is probably a good thing, since this isn't a conversation she wants to have with her parents while her young niece and even younger nephew are there.

They sit down at the table for dinner like they always do, her mom and dad sitting at the end of the table, Lanie next to Kate with Javi to her left, Sofia and then Daniela and the Lucas, then her and finally Jack, sitting to their father's right.

Lucas takes her hand under the table, squeezing it softly for comfort before she finally speaks up.

"There's something you all should know," she says, just loud enough to get everyone's attention. Once everyone is quiet and looking at her, she swallows hard before speaking again. "But you guys can't be mad." She sends a pointed look at her father and older brother, the two most likely to freak out. "I mean, it's good, I think. No, yeah, it's good. I'm happy about it."

"Josie, you know you can tell us anything, right?" asks her mother, hand joined with her father's over the table.

She nods. "Yeah, I know. I just...I don't want anyone to be upset, because I'm not."

"Just tell us, baby girl," says her father, making her internally roll her eyes at the nickname he only uses during moments like these.

"I'm pregnant," she says before quickly explaining. "But...but don't freak out. The dad...he's someone you guys know and trust and you guys don't have to kill him or beat him up."

"Who is the father, sweetheart?" asks Kate, eyes wide with surprise at her daughter's sudden announcement.

"It's me," says Lucas, bringing their hands up to rest on the table.

"You guys are together?"

"And having a baby?"

Sofia and Daniela ask, always finishing each other's sentences.

"Yeah," answers Josie, squeezing her boyfriends hand, awaiting their parents' response anxiously.

"Lucas, you'll be there for my daughter and the baby, no matter what?" asks Rick, speaking up for the first time. Josie finds herself holding her breath anxiously.

"Yes, sir. Like my parents raised me to," he answers.

"Sir? Really, Luca? You've been calling me Castle, like everyone else, since you were old enough to talk," says Rick, smiling along with everyone else.

"I know, si- uh, Castle."

The whole table bursts out in laughter at the usually out-going boy's sudden shyness.

"Well then, I guess congratulations are in order," says Kate, standing up, dinner forgotten, to go and wrap her youngest daughter in a hug, one Josie happily accepts and returns. "Though, I was counting on having a couple more years before I was a grandma," she mumbles against her daughters amber brown hair.

"I was, too, mom. But I'm happy now. Luca makes me happy," she whispers back, pulling away from her mother's embrace to accept a hug from Lanie.

"You better take care of my sister, or else," she hears Jack say, though his voice holds a hint off teasing in it. She knows that, if she had to get knocked up by someone, Jack and her father are both glad that it's Lucas and not some random college frat boy.

Their whole family has known Lucas since the day we was born—well, besides her, since she wasn't born until about a month later—and trust him more than any other boy.

Lucas' hug in the last hug she accepts, after getting a congratulatory one from her brother, and from Javi, a supportive and loving one from her father and two from the excited twins, talking her ear off about spoiling their niece—she couldn't help but think that the baby could be a boy.

Lucas' hug, though, is everything mixed into one, minus the chit chat. It's supportive and loving and even congratulatory, even though this baby is just as much his as it is hers. As she settles her head against his shoulder, nose in the crook of his neck, she hears mother mother's voice from a distance.

"I told you they'd end up together."

"Yeah, yeah. From the moment she was born and you found out Lanie and Javi had a boy and we had a girl, I know," says her father.

She can't help but smile into the crook of his neck, tightening her arms around his, middle as his hold her tight against him.


	36. prompt 36: you make the choice easy

**Prompt from pamelalexandria here on fanfiction: Castle gets shot (just superficial) and is taken to the hospital. Kate is still with Josh and she goes to the hospital and is desperate to know how Castle is and ends up having a fight with Josh when he asks her to choose between them.**

* * *

She's pacing the waiting room floor and she knows it.

In fact, she knows she's probably paced a hole into the hospital's floor over the past half hour, since she got to the hospital with Castle.

She shouldn't be pacing. There's no need to pace. It's a superficial wound, a cut made as the bullet grazed his body. They found the bullet in the brick wall off a building, Esposito had called to let her know.

He's okay. He might need stitches, which is usually only in worse case scenarios, and they'll give him an ointment, pain killers.

She's had these types of injuries before, the graze of a bullet against her arm or leg. They hurt, yes, but they're far from life threatening. Never has a victim on the morgue's slab died because of a superficial bullet wound.

And yet she's hear, pacing the waiting room floor as if he got shot in the heart and she's just waiting for the doctor to come out and tell her he died, even though that's far from their current situation. But he's still hurt, he was brought here in an _ambulance_ even though the wound is far from an emergency—it's protocol, whenever they have a man hit, an ambulance is called.

Sitting in the ambulance next to him, he was wide awake, joking along with her, only wincing as the paramedic dabbed his wound with a clean, wet towel to clean the wound. He was happy, smiling much more than she was, and looked a lot less worried than she was.

The thing is, she's not exactly worried that he's going to die _now, _she's more worried that the situation will repeat itself, and next time it'll be more than a graze and he'll die. She's scared that he'll die and never know. Never know that-

"Kate! What are you doing here?"

She turns on her heel at the familiar voice coming from behind her, immediately internally cursing this situation.

"Hi, Josh," she says, voice far less than enthusiastic and she knows it.

This thing, her and Josh, has been going downhill for a while. Ever since that trip to L.A., when she had realized the depth of his feelings for her and, in turn, hers for him, she's been struggling immensely with this thing with Josh.

He's her boyfriend, yes. But she spends most of her time with Castle. She confides in Castle. Castle has a key to her apartment and Josh doesn't. And, if she's being completely honest, she loves Castle, and she _doesn't _love Josh.

"Is everything okay? Are you waiting for a suspect or a witness? Give me a name and I can find out how they're doing," he says, coming to stand right in front of her.

They have an odd relationship, even it can even be called that at all. The few times where they're both free—and take the time to tell the other, which she often purposefully fails to do—they spend in bed, because that seems to be all he wants. They don't greet each other with a hug or a kiss on the cheek. In fact, she doesn't even remember the last time she hugged Josh that wasn't because _he _hugged _her _because she almost died, or when she didn't wish it was Castle's arms around her instead.

Ever since they defused that bomb—well, he defused the bomb—and threw their arms around each other in a heat of the moment, 'Oh my God, I just saved Manhattan' kind of way, she's wanted to feel his arms wrapped around her again, in more ways than one.

"Oh, uh, no. It's actually, uh, Castle," she stutters when she finally remembers his question. Instantly, his face hardens and his eyes grow almost angry. He's never liked Castle, and he's pretty much always had a reason not to. "He got shot, uh, just superficial, though. I'm just waiting to go back and, uh, see him."

"Seriously? It's just _superficial _and your standing out here pacing like he's in critical condition?" he asks, his voice holding so much incredulity that she wants to slap him for being upset with her over this.

Feelings for him or not, Castle's her partner, and he's not a cop and it's her job to keep him safe. Feelings or no feelings, she's be out here waiting. It's what partners do. He'd do it for her. She'll do it for him.

She's just glad that Josh doesn't know her as well as Castle does, because if he did, he'd notice the fact that, during the first half hour after arriving, and right after the bullet made contact with his skin, she let a few tears fall. She really doesn't need him knowing she _cried _over her partner, because that part has nothing to do with him being her partner.

And there's no way she's telling Josh that, so she goes back to his question.

"Yes, Josh. I was there when he got, uh, shot. He's my partner. And I'm pretty sure there's no rule against _pacing_," she practically spits out at him, her voice holding more anger than she had expected, than she had planned.

"Yeah, well, there isn't. But I'd be willing to bet you wouldn't be nearly as worried if that was Ryan, or Esposito or _me," _he tells her, spitting his own words in her face. And like a slap, it hits her that he's right, even though she already knew that. Hearing him say it just makes it all that much more real. "Would you, Kate? Would you pace this waiting room if that was me?"

She just swallows, can't lie to him, not now, and can't bring herself to tell him the truth. She's giving away the answer with her silence, anyway.

"Didn't think so, Kate? Who do you want, him or me?"

He screams it, bringing all attention to them. Some of his co-workers are watching, Castle's just down the hall and all the strangers await news on their own loved ones are staring. She doesn't care.

"Well, Kate? Who do you want? You have to choose, because I won't stay here while you long for lover boy!"

Everyone is hanging on their every word, awaiting her response, as a nurse calls her name from behind her. She smiles, knowing she can see Castle now, and turns to walk in the nurses direction. Quickly, she turns back to tell him over her shoulder:

"You just made this choice a whole lot easier."

And then she turns and follows the nurse into Castle's room, leaving Dr. Motorcycle boy standing in the middle of the waiting room, alone and dumped.

She smiles and thanks the nurse as she leaves them alone, before turning to her partner sitting to the edge of the bed. A white piece of gauze covers his injury, taped his his bicep. She smiles at him, and he smiles back.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. I'll be fine," he answers softly, his blue eyes meeting hers, shining with happiness until it fades a little. "You were crying."

She finds herself smiling at the confirmation that she was right. Josh doesn't know her well enough to spot the signs of tears already fallen, but Rick does.

_Who do you want, him or me?_

She nods slowly, any denial she might have would fall on deaf ears anyway.

_You just made this choice a whole lot easier._

She takes a step towards him, reaching out to run a hand down his good arm, to circle his fingers his her own.

"We need to talk."


	37. prompt 37: the cold fades away

**Prompt from pamelalexandria here on fanfiction: In the freezer, Castle takes off his clothes to put on Kate when she looses consciousness and ends up hospitalized (she wakes up before him) and Kate realizes she can't live without him and tells him so when he finally wakes up (no Josh).**

* * *

Her eyelids feel heavier than they usually do as she forces them open, the sound of...Ryan's voice bringing her back out of obliviousness.

_What happened?_

"Beckett? Beckett, are you okay?" he asks, his voice soft and soothing and making her open her eyes completely, landing on the pair of pale blue ones looking back at her. His eyes are filled with worry.

_What happened?_

She forces one corner of her lips to turn upwards and nods slowly, her mind awakening just as slowly, her body becoming aware of it's surroundings.

The first thing she fully processes is that she's cold, _really cold, _and shivering violently, a heavy blanket draped over her. And then she looks around a bit, scans her surroundings and realizes she's in the back of an ambulance, and it's night time.

_What happened?_

"Beckett? Are you okay? You're still cold. Do you want another blanket?" he asks, reaching behind him to grab another thick, wool blanket. As he turns, her eyes land on a jacket and pair of pants and a button down shirt, a man's jacket and button down shirt and pair of pants.

And just like that, it all comes back to her—the freezer, _always, _her almost-confession of love, the world going black.

"Where's Castle?" she asks, hearing the desperation in her own voice.

Ryan turns back to her, drapes the heavy blanket over her shaking body and runs his hand down her arm in a friendly and comforting motion.

"They're bringing him to the hospital. Because you're smaller, the cold got to you sooner. He took off his clothes to help warm you up, and ended up getting much worse hypothermia himself," he says softly, keeping his voice carefully steady even as she shoots up into a sitting position, the blankets that had been covering her chest falling into a pile on her lap.

"Is he...will he be okay?" she asks, reaching out to grip his arm as her head starts spinning.

"Take it easy, Beckett. You have hypothermia, too," says Ryan, resting his own hand on her arm to steady her as well. "Castle's going to be okay, okay? Now you need to rest and warm up."

"No!" she practically shouts, catching the paramedic's attention. The woman, dressed in her FDNY uniform, turns and walks over to them. Kate ignores her. "No, Ryan. I need to see him, please? I can warm up in the car and there. I just...I need to see him, please, Ryan. Please?" She knows she's practically begging, but if all she needs is to warm up, she can wrap herself in blankets while Ryan drives.

She doesn't care, she just needs to see him, needs to make sure he's okay, needs to thank him for risking his life to save hers and she needs to tell him...she loves him.

"Beckett, stay calm. I'll ask the paramedic if we can go, okay?" he asks. She nods in response, hoping and praying that he'll get permission to take her to see her partner.

She's never needed to see anyone more than she needs to see Castle right now.

Ryan returns and simply nods his head. He helps her to her feet, despite her protests and leads her to his car, telling her in no uncertain terms that she is to sit down and relax, wrapped in blankets, and only get up to go from the car to Castle's room.

Under normal circumstances, she's argue, and they both know it. Right now, though, she'll follow whatever rules Ryan wants to make up if it means getting a ride to the hospital so she can see him.

She finds fatigue once again taking over her on the drive back, falls asleep only to be woken by a still worried Ryan parking outside the hospital. She doesn't give him time to worry any more, pushes the car door open quickly, slams it shut behind her and practically runs into the hospital.

With a few quick questions and a flash of his badge, Ryan manages to get her into Castle's room in record time. Even though she's the one who still has hypothermia, she finds that the nurse is walking far too slowly.

Finally, they reach his room. He's still unconscious, an IV in his right arm, dressed in a hospital gown. She practically stumbles in, tripping over her own feet, struggling to keep the blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She can feel Ryan's worried gaze on her back as he lingers at the door, as if making sure she's okay. When she finally gets to the chair at Castle's bedside, she turns to her fellow detective and nods, allowing him to leave.

Knowing how considerate Ryan is, she knows he won't go far—not that she even really cares, she really just wants Castle to wake up.

Right now, she just wants to finally tell him what she came so close to telling him in that freezer.

He's still asleep, but she decides to tell him anyway, hoping he hears her. She reaches over and takes his hand in his, feels how cold it is runs her thumb quickly along the back of it in attempt to warm him even the slightest bit.

"I heard you tried to save me. It worked, obviously," she chuckles softly, hearing the wetness in her own laugh, the tears already welling in her eyes. "Now you have to wake up, okay, Rick? 'Cause you need to know what I was going to tell you. But I can't wait until you wake up...I need to tell you before I lose my nerve, okay? So you, you remember this. I love you, Rick," she says softly, the tears running down her cheeks as she lets her head fall to the side of his bed, her lips pressing to his still cold hand. "I love you. And you need to wake up so we can talk about this and maybe...be more than partners?"

She presses her lips to his hand once again, squeezing his limp fingers with her own.

She starts crying more when she feels the weak squeeze coming from him a minute or two later—even though it feels like it's been forever since she woke up in that ambulance.

She presses another kiss to his hand before looking up at him, meeting hooded blue eyes with tearful green ones. She's not sure what she would've done had she never been able to see those eyes again.

"You're awake. Oh, God...don't you ever do that to me again," she cries, standing up to lean in closer to him. She can't stop herself from pressing a kiss to his forehead.

"You're okay," he says, instead of responding to her statement. "I thought you were going to die."

"I know... I thought you were going to die, too," she whispers, leaning her head to set it in the crook of his neck, not caring that her tears are seeping into the thin cotton of his hospital gown. "I...I thought I was going to lose you, Rick. Don't you ever do that again...even to save me."

He reaches up to wrap his arms around her, making the blanket fall to his abdomen. It's okay, though. Even though he's cold, the blanket around her is warming in up, along with the feeling of her practically leaning over him.

"So worth it, Kate," he whispers, making her send him a questioning glance. From what she could tell, hypothermia isn't worth much. She's not exactly a fan of the shivering, the numbness that is only beginning to fade—she's pretty sure that's only because of him—and the cold that feels like it will never go away. And he obviously has it worse than she does, since he's the one laying in the hospital bed with an IV in his arm.

"I'm alive. You're alive, Kate." His words are soft and sincere his hand not-attached to an IV reaching up to run over her cheek, his fingers bringing her comfort only he ever can. And suddenly, his sweet, loving smile turns more smug, yet keeping a loving hint to it. "And you love me."

She can't help it, doesn't give herself time to think about it or about any possible consequences, and leans down to kiss him hard.

She loves him.

Based on the smile on his face, he loves her, too.

With the touch of their lips—_finally_—an indescribable, unbelievable warmth spreads through her entire body, much like that time in the alley. But this kiss is real, purely them, all their feelings finally being released in the intimate, perfect touch of his lips against hers. As his tongue slips into her mouth, battling with her own, a moan very similar to the one from the alley, escapes her throat as she leans further over him.

And the machine at his bedside beeps, announcing a raise in his heartbeat. They pull apart like they were burned, a blush rising to her cheeks instantly as a nurse comes in to check on him. He chuckles softly as he reaches over to takes her hand in his.

They keep each other warm that night—thanks to a flash of her badge and a generous donation that allow her to stay—as they lay wrapped in each other's arms, blankets draped over them in countless layers.

"I love you, too," he whispers to her right before she falls asleep that night, making warmth spread through her veins and to every nerve ending. She manages a simple nod against his chest, fails to do much more, since she's so tired.

He doesn't seem to care, though. He pulls her closer, holding her against him as slumber takes over her.

She never thought she'd be so thankful for a freezer, a near-death experience and a case of hypothermia. But they all led her here, to his warm arms, his soft lips...his love.

She wouldn't have it any other way.


	38. prompt 38: Death Gone Crazy

**Prompt from Clarkson124 here on fanfiction: what if Kate was pregnant in 'Death Gone Crazy'? _Not sure if this is what you were looking for, but it's kinda what came to me._**

* * *

"One day I'll tell her his story, how Beau gave his life to be her father," says Candice, a sad smile coming across her lips at her thoughts, the images her mind in conjuring surely bringing on a mixture of joy and pain.

Kate feels a small smile come to her own face as she lets herself wonder if their baby will be a girl, like Candice's. She finds herself thankful for the file cupped between her palms that keeps her from running her hand over the tiny bump beginning to protrude from her mid-section. Nobody at the precinct knows, besides Castle, of course, and this isn't exactly how she plans on telling her friends.

That doesn't stop the images from playing in her mind, one of Castle cradling a little baby dressed in a pink onesie against his chest instantly melting her heart. She wonders if he's thinking about their baby now, too, even as she pushes the images back to focus on the grieving woman in front of them.

"So, you're having a daughter, then?" she asks.

"Yeah," answers Candice, nodding slowly, a wistful tone to her voice as if she had just been imagining her daughter, a little girl so innocent, already losing someone no child should ever lose: her father.

"That's wonderful."

"Congratulations," Castle speaks right after her, nodding slightly and smiling as well.

"Thank you."

She watches as the elevator doors open behind Candice, an elderly man revealed, one she recognizes.

"I think your dad's here to see you," she points out, making Candice turn to look at him, to see the small smile playing at his lips.

"I guess I should tell him what's going on," she says softly, as if speaking to herself. From experience, Kate knows she probably is. And then she turns back to them. "Thank you, for finding out the truth."

She smiles sweetly in acknowledgement of Candice's thanks and watches as she walks away, towards her father. She finds herself wondering if Candice is thinking that it's unfair that her baby will go without her own father, like she still sometimes thinks when she sees people with their mother.

And then her brow furrows as she realizes that Candice might have to go without her father, too, if he can't get past the fact that she's pregnant with Beau Randolph's child, if he rejects his grandchild.

"You think he'll be able to accept his grandchild?"

"Absolutely," he answers almost instantly, watching with her as Candice continues to walk towards her father, the older man reaching out to run his hand over his daughter's shoulder.

"What makes you so sure?" she asks, watching the affectionate, familiar way father and daughter are acting now, still wondering if it'll be that way tomorrow.

"Because a father would do anything for his daughter," he answers, sure of himself, of his answer. He'd do anything for Alexis. He'd already do anything for this baby, their baby.

She feels a smile come across her face before she can even think of stopping it. He'd do anything for their baby, boy or girl, even his early into their little one's life. She's not even three months pregnant yet—ten weeks, she's ten weeks pregnant—and already he'd do anything for their child.

She knows he's right about Candice and her father, too. She might not be a father, but she is a mother now, and she'd do anything for her baby—god, she'd do anything for Alexis and she's technically her daughter. And he'd do anything for his children.

"You ready to go?" he asks suddenly, cutting through her thoughts of how amazing of a dad he is.

"We kinda have paperwork to finish, Castle," she teases softly, trying to keep the emotion out of her voice. He doesn't need to know what she was thinking just seconds ago, even though she'll probably tell him how amazing he'll be with their baby a thousand times before the baby actually comes alone, and even more after the baby gets here.

"Get Ryan and Espo to do it. You almost always stay the latest and do the most, they owe you," he says. She can tell he's fighting the urge to touch her, to take her hand in his, to run his hand over her belly like he's down countless times in the month since she told him she's pregnant. "Please, Kate? After this case, after seeing _that_ smile on your face, I just want to curl up on the couch with you and talk about..." He trails at the end of his sentence, letting his eyes somewhat-discreetly fall to her stomach.

She smiles, already giving in, and with a slow nod turns to walk back to her desk. She drops her files on Espo's desk and tells him she's leaving, asks him if he minds finishing it up for her. He looks up at her curiously, but graciously accepts anyway.

She's back by Castle's side waiting for the elevator before he can so much as tell her to have a good night.

"Something's up with her...with them," he points out softly as the elevator closes.

"Maybe she's pregnant," says Ryan with a chuckle, watching unknowingly as Castle takes her hand in his right as the elevator doors close.

The minute they get home, he goes into the kitchen and gets them both a glass of apple juice and a plate of leftover spaghetti, as she settles herself on the couch and watches, finally letting her hand slip down and under her shirt to run over the slight bulge of her lower abdomen.

As she watches him walk around the kitchen, warming their dinner up in microwave, testing the temperature by running his finger through the red marinara sauce and tasting it, her mind conjured up images of him warming up a bottle, testing the temperature on his wrist, intending to feed their little baby.

And then her mind drifts to him sitting on the couch, baby in his arm, a little person so tiny that they literally fit in the crook of his elbow, the perfect mix of him and her, giving the little one his or her bottle, looking down at their baby so lovingly even her imagination had her heart melting.

"Here you go." His voice breaks her thoughts and she blinks before smiling up at him and taking her glass and plate from his hands, taking a sip of the juice almost instantly, quickly taking a bite of the pasta. Since the initial round of morning sickness finally passed, she's been hungry all the time—and trying to control her food intake at the precinct in order to keep suspicion low.

It's not that she doesn't want anyone to know about the baby, or that she's embarrassed by the fact that she's pregnant—even though the dates say they conceived only about four months into their relationship and she's already ready to promise forever and raise a family with him. Actually, she wants to scream it off of rooftops, most of the time, that she's dating _Richard Castle, _her favorite author since way before she was biased. She wants to tell the world how in love with him she is, and that they're going to spend forever together, that they're having a _baby. _

"Thank you," she says as soon as she swallows, almost instantly shoving a second bite into her mouth. He laughs softly, watching as she chews and swallows. "Not just, uh...for the food. For everything. For loving me and being with me and being such an amazing dad," she says softly, a hot blush rising to her cheeks.

"Thank you," he says back. "For giving me the opportunity to show you all that."

She takes another bite before setting her plate aside, next to the one he never really picked up, and scoots closer to him, into his welcoming embrace. His hand, just as she expected, slips around her waist and runs over her stomach, his palm large and warm against her skin, over their child.

"You know, a mother would do anything for her child, too?" she asks softly, settling into his embrace, resting her head against his shoulder and taking in a deep, soothing breath.

"I know. You would do anything for our baby," he answers, his thumb rubbing a small circle into the skin over their baby.

"Do you think our baby...will they do things like that? Like 'College Girls Gone Crazy' or 'College Boys Gone Nuts'?" she asks, her own hand slipping down and under her shirt to intertwine their fingers.

"No. You'll be an amazing mom, Kate. We'll raise this baby so they never even think of doing things like that," he answers softly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"I was hoping you'd say that." She smiles and turns her head to press a kiss to his shoulder. "That's all I was thinking about during most of the case, that those girls...that could be our daughter one day."

"Daughter?" he asks softly. She smiles against his shirt and shrugs.

"I don't know. There's a fifty-fifty shot, right?"

He smiles and pulls her closer, his hand still caressing her small bump as he reaches over and grabs her plate, handing it to her. "You know, a mini Kate Beckett would be perfect," he tells her softly.

She just smiles and presses a kiss to his lips in thanks for the compliment, and then stuffs another forkful of pasta into her mouth.


	39. prompt 39: The Final Frontier

**Prompt from Clarkson124 and guest here on fanfiction: What if Kate was pregnant in 'The Final Frontier' and Kate is pregnant during 5x06.**

* * *

_"You want more kids?"_

_"I'd like the option."_

She sighs softly, her eyes closed, because that's not a yes. And right now, she kinda needs a yes, considering current circumstances.

She raises her hand and knocks softly on his door, so softly she's unsure as to whether or not he hears it. She doesn't need to knock anymore. He's told her that on multiple occasions since they got together, that his home is now hers. At the time, it had almost scared her, the thought of having a _home _with him.

Now, though, it seems like she'll be living here in months. Not that _that_ is any less scary.

The door swings open just as she goes to knock again, revealing Castle, a glass wine in one hand, eyes wide with shock. It's earlier than she had told him she'd come, and she's still wearing her work clothes, only her purse in hand."I

And she's pretty sure her eyes might look unfocused and she might look a little upset, because his words have been haunting her since he said them.

_"I'd like the option."_

"Hi, Kate. Come in," he says, smiling at her and opening the door a little more, standing to the side to let her in. She smiles shyly and nods, taking a step past him and into the entryway.

Her hands are joined and resting on her lower abdomen, her futile attempt at keeping them from shaking—at least it's a normal position and doesn't draw any suspicion from him. Her hair is still curled and cascading over her shoulder, just like it had been at work. She's still wearing her dark grey sweater, the slight V-neck making it one of her favorites, and her light grey slacks, stiletto heals still on her feet, her jacket still in the crook of her elbow.

She had planned on going to her apartment, getting the costume and everything before going to his place, but then she got stuck at a seemingly abnormally long red light and made the mistake of looking out her window just for her eyes to land on a boutique with onesies hanging in the window and the smiling woman walking out of it, carrying a tiny little girl in her arms.

That had sent her mind into a tailspin, because it once again hit her like a ton of bricks. She's _pregnant. _And she doesn't even know if he wants the baby. They've only been together for three months—and with her already being eight weeks along, according to her doctor, that means they conceived about a month into their relationship, way too soon to be considered normal. And Alexis _just _moved out, and she doesn't want him to feel like he's replacing the daughter that had been his only child for nearly two decades. And because...

_"I'd like the option."_

"Kate? Are you okay? Oh my God, what's wrong? Did something happen? Sit down, Kate, please. You look like you're going to cry. Did I upset you? Did I tease you too much? Please, Kate, please tell me this isn't my fault," he's saying suddenly, breaking her from her thoughts with a blink. The sudden closing of her eyelids makes the tears that have gathered in her eyes fall.

"Castle..." she says softly as he pulls her coat off.

"Shh, Kate. Just...please let me? You're upset and I want to help you," he says almost instantly, practically cutting her off.

"Castle-" she tries again, only to get cut off again.

"Kate, please sit down and then we can talk about whatever has you upset, okay? We can even watch that Nebula 9 marathon right now, if you want."

"Castle!"

"Yes, Kate?" he asks, finally pausing his actions and turning her so she's facing him. "What do you want, love? Anything." She feels a small smile tugging at her lips at his sweetness, and the pet-name he knows she loves no matter how much she denies it.

"When you said you'd like the option to have more kids...does that mean that you do? Or...like women don't want to go into menopause because it takes away the option, but that doesn't mean they want more kids...is that what you mean? You don't want the option to be gone," she asks, speaking too quickly, too desperate for answer.

"Whoa, Kate. You...you really wanna know?" he asks, obviously unable to hide the shock in his voice. "Can we please sit down to talk about this?"

She nods despite her wish to get an answer as soon as possible. If sitting down is what it'll take, she'll sit. So, she lets him lead her to the couch with a hand on her lower back, can still feel the worry radiating off him in waves. She knows it's not like her to show up at his place and ask something so...so big for their relationship.

Then again, it's also not like her to get pregnant a month into her relationship and to have to tell the father only three months after they got together. This is new, something she's never done before, and she's probably just as worried as he is, possibly just as confused, too.

She sits down on the couch, and he sits down next to her. A new hint of panic rises to his eyes and he holds up his glass of wine in way of asking if she wants some. She shakes her head no—even if she did, it's not like she could have any.

"Okay, so now will you answer, Castle? I need to know...if you want more kids," she says, setting her joined hands in her lap.

"Kate... If this is because you don't want kids-" he begins to say, but she can't listen to that right now.

Truth be told, up until about a week ago, she didn't think she wanted kids. It had always seemed like such a distant possibility, up until they finally got together, even though her biological clock was ticking. And with him, she could see herself, could see them, having a family together...just...not this soon.

"No, Castle. That's not it. Just...please tell me. I someone came up to you today, not me, but just a random person, and told you that you _had _to be one-hundred percent honest, and then asked you if you wanted to have more kids, what would be the first thing that comes to mind?" she asks, reaching over to run her hand up and down his thigh in attempt to soothe some of the worry that still lingers in his eyes.

"Honestly?" She nods. "The first thing that would come to mind would be you...pregnant. Your belly swollen. You'd be so, so beautiful, Kate, all happy and glowing because you'd be carrying our baby. And you'd take my hand and press it to your belly, and we'd feel our baby kick, me for the first time, you would of been feeling it for a little while, though. And then, no matter where we are, I'd run my hand over you belly, over our baby, and pull you in for a kiss. I'd be so in awe of you, Kate. I'd love you more than I ever thought possible. And maybe, if I could, I'd lean down and press a kiss to your belly, too, and tell our little baby how much I love them.

And the next's thing that comes to mind? That would be you, again. But you'd be in the hospital, your hair a tousled mess, your eyes fighting to stay open, just beginning to catch your breath, but you'd be so beautiful, more beautiful than I've ever seen you. And in your arm, Kate, you'd be holding our baby. You be staring at...her...at our little girl. You'd be so in awe of her, Kate, of that little person that was in your womb for nine whole months. You wouldn't be able to tear your eyes off her. But me? I'd be looking at both of you, so in, Kate, that you just gave me another little girl, that you went through so much to bring her here, and she'd be here, with me and you, finally. We'd already love her...so much more than we ever thought possible.

And then I think of you, again, Kate. I'd walk into the nursery, three walls painted a pale shade of yellow, the other having a mural of...maybe a silhouette of the New York City skyline? So our baby would know how much you love our city, how much you do for it, from birth. Even when she's an itty bitty baby, I'll tell her how proud of you I am, of how her mommy goes and fights the bad guys to keep everyone else safe. But this day, the one that comes to mind, you'd be sitting in the nursery with her, in the rocking chair. You'd be feeding her...breastfeeding...and looking down at her and cooing at her and smiling like I've never seen you smile. It would be the most amazing thing I'd ever see, that maternal side of you as you fed our daughter-"

"I'm pregnant," she blurts out suddenly.

That's not exactly how she had planned on telling him, by blurting it out like that. But the images he's painting, the ones coming to mind of a little girl with her looks, but his eyes, with her determination, and his sense of humor. God...that little girl would be the most amazing thing. And it was too much, too beautiful, and it made her want that so desperately, to press his hand to her swollen stomach so he could feel their baby kick, sitting in the hospital, holding their little girl in her arms right after giving birth, sitting in the nursery, watching as her daughter ate. It's exactly what she never knew she wanted...until now.

And she wants him to know that it'll all happen, and soon.

His eyes are wide with shock at her sudden interruption and he's suddenly, uncharacteristically silent. But she's not worried. Everything he just said, it's all proof that he wants this...with her. And the smiles that's spreading across his face is just further confirmation.

"You're pregnant? We're having a baby?" She nods, letting a wide smile come across her face, because now she knows he wants more than the option, he wants the whole thing, he wants them to have a family.

And as much as it surprises her, she wants it all, too.

"Oh my God... I love you, Kate," he says as he pulls her into a tight hug, holding her so close that he practically pulls her into his lap. She smiles against his shoulder, because it might be earlier than planned, but this is everything she's ever wanted with him, even if she never realized it before.

"I... I love you, too, Rick"


	40. prompt 40: sick day

**Prompt from anonymous on tumblr: Kate has to go to a body drop in the middle of the night even though she has a head cold. Castle eventually convinces her she's too sick to work. Cuddling ensues.**

* * *

She jerks awake with a cough, her throat parched and sore. Her phone is ringing at her bedside, loud and annoying and making her already sore head pound even more.

If there's one thing Kate Beckett hates, it's being sick.

Her nose is plugged, making it impossible to breathe through it, forcing her to struggle to get the air through her burning throat. Her ears are plugged, have been for a few days now, and she's pretty sure she might have an ear infection of some sort. Her head is pounding and an undeniable pressure is behind her eyes.

She groans softly, her throat burning as she does so.

Reaching over, her fingers struggle to grasp the still ringing device, her hand is shaking, and her fingers are still half asleep. Her head is pounding and the ringing phone is making her close her eyes in order to keep it from getting any worse. Her now closed eyes, though, make it even harder to grasp the annoyingly loud phone, and she struggles to finally wrap her fingers around it, brings it to her ear only to have it ring loudly against her head. The sound makes her head feel like it's going to explode, and she groans rather loudly before swiping clumsily with her thumb in attempt to answer.

"Beckett," she says, voice harsh and raspy, her name sounding more like a groan than her usual, emotionless answer.

"Beckett? Are you okay? I know it's early... Oh... Please tell me I'm not _interrupting _anything..."

"Huh?" she grumbles softly before realizing what he means. "Oh...no...uh...ew."

"Disgusted by your own boyfriend, Beckett?" teases Esposito, his voice coming through the phone, vibrating in her sore ear and echoing in her pounding head and she groans again, her throat burning as the air travels slowly, unevenly up her throat.

"No... No, not disgusted." She coughs, throwing her hand over her mouth as she does so, sniffling soon after only to find it completely useless. Her nose is plugged, extremely plugged and she should probably taking a decongestant or something. Espo probably hears it in her voice to. She fights the urge to groan again. "He's probably, uh...disgusted by me right now."

She jumps when she suddenly feels his lips on her arm, warm against her cool skin. She tries to swat him away—has been limiting physical contact ever since this cold started in attempt to keep him healthy. He pulls away before she can, though, knowing her rule, and smile up at her. She tries to smile back and fails miserably.

Kate Beckett can handle a lot. Being sick sadly isn't on that list, though.

She keeps her eyes on him, practically tuning out Esposito and his seemingly booming voice as Castle props himself up on one elbow, still laying on his side next to where she's sitting up. He reaches up with his free hand to rub the spot between her eyes gently with his thumb, making her eyes flutter closed at the hint of relief it brings.

"Headache?" he asks softly, continuing his movements as she nods slowly against his thumb, sniffling again, making her head pound even more for another few seconds. With her free hand, she presses his hand more firmly against her head, hoping a little added pressure will help relieve the new round of pain. In doesn't. And she groans again.

She only opens her eyes a few seconds later when she feels his fingers brush hers as he tries to grab her phone, but she's suddenly too tired to stop him.

"What are you doing?" she asks softly, looking down at him from under hooded lids, being reminded that opening her eyes only makes her headache worse.

"You're not even listening to him, Kate. Take the day off, call in sick, whatever...just please don't go to work. You're sick, Kate. The boys and Gates will understand," he says softly, rolling onto his back so he can continue to hold the phone while helping her with her headache, his hand moving from between her eyes to massage both her temples at once, his large hand easily reaching both sides of her face.

She nods against his hand, mumbling softly but almost defiantly: "Fine."

He smiles, turns his head and leans over to kiss her arm again, his lips soft and wet against her skin and she hums softly, laying back down against the pillow.

"Thank you, Kate. I just...I know how much you hate being sick and I love you and I don't want you to risk getting worse by going out and chasing killers, no matter how good at your job you are," he whispers, holding the phone's receiver down against his pillow so Espo doesn't here them.

She just nods slowly as he turns and brings the phone back to his ear.

"Hey, Espo? Yeah, uh...Beckett's sick and won't be able to make it. Can you tell Gates?" he asks, Esposito response being that he'd most certainly tell her and to tell Beckett to get well soon.

He hangs up quickly, setting her phone down on his bedside table before reaching out and pulling her into his arms. She's already half asleep, but manages to wrap her arm around his mid-section. He's kinda glad that she's already falling back asleep—not only is she really sick and needs her sleep, but if she was awake she'd certainly be telling him not to cuddle with her when she's sick and might get him sick.

He doesn't care. He presses a kiss to her head and returns the sentiment when she tells him she loves him.


	41. prompt 41: the choice is made

**Prompt from kwarner here on fanfiction: continue this chapter [prompt 36: you make the choice easy].**

* * *

_She takes a step towards him, reaching out to run a hand down his good arm, to circle his fingers with her own._

_"We need to talk."_

His brow furrows at her words, his hand instinctively clenching around hers as if this is natural, normal for them. It's not. They don't hold hands like this in hospital rooms, smiling at each other almost goofily because they're both okay.

This isn't them.

It's never been them.

She doesn't walk into a room ready to confess her feelings for someone.

He doesn't squeeze her hand.

She doesn't take his hand in the first place—except for those two times, the first when he blamed himself for the fact that 3XK got away, the other when they were facing a deadly bomb with only seconds until it was set to explode.

But this, this isn't to comfort him. And this isn't one last moment of physical contact with the one you lo- _Wait, what? _She found herself silently wondering where _that _word came from, and why it's coming to mind in regards to her partner.

_Oh crap,_ she thinks with a barely retained sigh—of exasperation or contentment, even she's not sure. _I love him._

"It's not bad, Castle," she promises softly, squeezing his hand in return, trying to give him some reassurance. "It's actually good, really good, I think." She smiles.

"Please tell me your not celebrating that you finally have a reason to kick me off the team," he says softly, pouting as if he knows there's no chance that's what she's going to say, but holds an underlying insecurity, as if part of him fears it anyway. "I'm really sorry I got myself shot, and not just because it hurts like a bitch."

She laughs softly as he turns to glare at the bleach white piece of gauze taped to his shoulder, as if looks could make the wound go away.

"But I know you were worried. You _cried_, Kate. I've only seen you cry a handful of times," he finished, his tone getting sweeter, his gaze softening as his eyes drift back to her, hold her's captive in their blue depths.

She decides not to tell him that she's cried a lot more than he's seen, even sense they met, and that he's the reason for many of those tears shed. Now is definitely not the time to admit that he already, unknowingly, of course, broke her heart. Now is not the time to confess that she spent three months hoping it was him every time the phone rang, or that knowing he was out there with another woman is the main reason her _still _doesn't know how she feels.

"I was worried," she says instead—pushing thoughts of the horrible summer—still fresh in her mind—back, offering a different, much more fulfilling confession.

One day, she'll tell him everything that happened that day, about her break up with Demming, about Gina's horrible timing, about how much she missed him. One day, they'll regret that entire summer together, him leaving with Gina, her making Josh the rebound guy—a now extremely obvious mistake. And one day, they'll apologize for everything that went wrong.

But today, today is about finally—_finally_—coming together as more than friends, more than partners, and she's not going to let their past failure rain on her parade, not today.

Josh made her make a choice and she made it. And now, she's going to tell Castle that she chooses him, and hope and pray with everything in her that this time, things will go better and it won't end in tears.

Deep down, she knows that this time, things will go a lot better.

"Kate? You're crying again. Come here," his voice slices through her thoughts like a knife through butter, breaking them as she blinks and gives her eyes the chance to refocus on his face. He looks worried, too worried, so she follows his command and takes a step towards him, her other hand finding his other one. His hand grasps hers, and she finds herself smiling at him as his thumbs run over the back of her hands. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." She nods, squeezing both his hands as his eyes take hers captive in their blue depths. "Yeah. I just...we really need to talk, Castle," she whispers to him, leaning forward just a bit.

"Is it really good? Or were you just saying that?" she asks, his voice suddenly as soft as hers.

"It's really good, Castle. I promise," she whispers smiling at him. "I saw Josh, while I was, uh...waiting," she says before chuckling softly. If she's going to tell him how she feels, she might as well tell him what she was really doing in the waiting room. "Well, it was more like pacing and worrying," she admits, making him smile at her honesty. "Anyway, he told me I had to make a choice, him or you."

"And who did you choose?" he asks softly, eyes and voice both holding a hopefulness she's never really seen in them, a warranted hopefulness, too. Because she chose right, she knows that now, as she looks into ocean blue eyes that lock on her earthy green ones and make her forget that their standing in a hospital room, that other people exist, that time actually goes by.

"You," she whispers, leaning in a little closer to him.

Next thing she knows, he's leaning in towards her, too, and her eyes are drifting closed as his breath tickles her face, warm and welcoming as his lips part and he exhales. And then his lips are hers, a gentle caress filled with love and underlying passion begging to be released. His hands release hers as they move to her waist, pulling her to the very edge of his hospital bed, holding her close, between his legs, spread just enough to accommodate her thin body. Her hands free, she wraps her own arms around his neck, threading her fingers into the short hairs at his nape.

They pull apart as the door opens, lips releasing lips, but hands not releasing bodies, a blush rising to her cheeks as she buries her face into his neck, hiding from the offending nurse. But she finds herself smiling and peppering the soft skin of his neck with kisses when his grip tightens on her as the nurse tells them—him, really—that he can go home.

As they walk out hand in hand, she catches sight of Josh returning from what she assumes was his break. His eyes land on them, and hers land on him. She assumes that Castle sees him, too, because he squeezes the hand he's still holding. She squeezes back, letting him know silently that she is in no way, shape or form regretting her decision. And she finds herself mouthing a thank you to her ex-boyfriend as she's pulled closer by her new one.

And then Castle pulls her into the elevator and makes a rather public show of planting a lingering kiss on her lips, pulling her whole body flush against his as her hands found their way back to his hair, her lips moving against his—not to prove anything to Josh, not at all, really, but because his kisses just feel so right. As the elevator doors close next to them, their lips part. He presses one more, short and sweet kiss to her lips before resting his forehead against hers.

"Thank you," he whispers ever so softly, his breath warm as it hits her still closed eyes, making her open them to gaze into his.

Hospital elevators—or elevators in general, for that matter—have never seemed so romantic and intimate.

"For?" she asks, her tone just as soft as his, questioning but dripping of peace and contentment for the first time in years. It sounds foreign, even to her own ears, but it also sounds good.

"For choosing me."


	42. prompt 42: not quite planned

**Prompt from Badge 41319 here on fanfiction: one just like chapter 35 [prompt 35: family] but have them be younger when it happens. ****_Okay, so it's not just like prompt 35 just because I think that, if they were any younger than 21, their feelings along with that of their families would be extremely different._**

* * *

Her hand shakes as she fumbles with the pregnancy test in her pocket. _Positive._

Her doctor confirmed it. _Positive._

Her morning sickness is proof enough. _Positive._

And now she has to tell everyone, and she is more scared for this than she has ever been for anything in her life.

Her dad is going to want to kill Lucas, of that she is absolutely positive. The only reason he even let them be together without absolutely hating Lucas is because he's watched Lucas grow up, he's like a nephew to her father.

Right now, though, the almost family bond between her boyfriend and father, a lifetime of memories the foundation of their relationship. But this...this baby is like a hurricane coming at it, possibly knocking it down, no matter how strong the foundation is.

The only thing really working in Lucas' favor right now is the fact that he didn't leave when she handed him the positive pregnancy test and told him he's going to be a dad, didn't run like most teenage boys would. Quite the contrary, actually, he's sitting only three feet away, watching as she runs a hand over her barely there but seemingly huge baby bump, the small protrusion from her previously flat stomach obvious to her eyes, not so much to everyone else's.

"It'll be okay, Jo," says Lucas softly. She watched him in the mirror as he pushes himself off her bed and smiles to herself when he wraps his arms around her waist from behind, hands resting over their baby.

_Their baby._

"My dad will be so mad, though, Luca. He'll be so disappointed," she points out, turning in her boyfriend's arms to face him. "I was supposed to go to law school, follow my mom's dream of being the first female-"

He cuts her off with a quick, firm kiss on her lips.

"You still can, babe," he tells her softly, and she shakes her head quickly, instantly trying to reason with him, but he continues before she can say anything. "Wherever you go to school, I'll go with you and I'll help take care of the baby. I'll even stay home with the baby if you want, okay?" he suggests, caressing her sides and back lovingly. "I love you, Jo. Anything you want or need, I'll do anything to get it for you."

She smiles and rests her head against his chest. "Say stuff like that downstairs, and you might just live through the evening," she jokes. His grip on her tightens for a couple brief moments before he releases her and takes her hand, leading her downstairs.

Dinner goes smoothly, though she doesn't eat much. Her parents don't see anything unusual, though, as she has been feeling under the weather for the past few days—or at least, that's what she told them, not quite ready to tell them the real reason she's been tired and nauseous lately.

But now, as Lucas' hand squeezes hers under the table—his parents and their parents and their siblings all chatting amongst themselves, oblivious—she really has no choice.

However, she can't bring herself to clear her throat and just _say it_ in front of everyone. And she finds herself releasing his hand and tapping her older sister, Hannah, on the shoulder. As she turns to face her, she leans in to whisper:

"Can I talk to you?" Hannah nods and excuses them—always the people person, like their dad—as Josie walks around the table to ask her mom the same thing. She might not be able to tell her dad just yet, but telling her mom is another story, she's always been extremely close with her mom.

Kate excuses herself from the table as well, brow slightly furrowed as she follows her daughters up the stairs and into her youngest's bedroom.

As she walks through the threshold, Josie is hit with the realization that she'll have to design a room for her baby, the same way her parents had once designed this one for her. She pushes that thought back as she takes a seat on the bed with Hannah and her mom.

"What's up, Jo?" asks Hannah softly. "You look...worried...almost scared." Her mom's hand rests on her knee, caressing the skin soothingly. She looks up at her mom and forces a not very convincing smile.

"Promise you won't be mad?" she asks, sounding like a scared little girl even to her own ears. "Just, promise, mom..." Kate nods her promise, not actually saying the words, but it's enough for Jo. She trusts her mom more than anything. She always will. "I'm pregnant."

She's hears Hannah's gasp next to her at the same time as her mom's hand tightens on her knee. She closes her eyes tightly, bracing herself for what will surely be a horrible reaction. Instead, she gets a soft, worry-willed question:

"You and Lucas?" She opens her eyes and meets her mother's identical ones—Hannah and James both got their father's blue eyes, and she got their mother's green ones. She nods slowly, wondering why her mom even has to ask. She knows they've...you know, she told her before they did anything that she thought she was ready, and after just so her mother knew she had been intimate with someone. "How are you taking it?"

She feels tears pricking at her eyes as she shrugs, and her mom's hand comes off her knee as she pulls her into a hug, and she buries her face into the familiar crook of her mommy's neck.

"I'm scared," she mumbles, the fingers running up and down her back soothing her. "But Luca, mom, he's so sweet. You know, he offered to move to...wherever I go to college...with me and _stay home _with the baby," she says, sniffling softly.

"He's a sweet boy. He was raised well, Jo, and he loves you more than anything. You know? As much as I kinda wish you were at least a little older, I'm glad you're doing this with him," responds her mother, tightening her grip on her. "He's very loyal and loving...like his father, and like yours."

She whimpers softly, mumbling against her mom's shoulder: "Dad... He's going to be so disappointed in me."

Her mother pulls away from her quickly, locking their eyes.

"No, Josie. You're dad loves you, no matter what. He might wish you were older, like I do, but he won't be _disappointed _in you, okay?" she insists, her voice still soft but holding no room to argue, so she nods. "When are you going to tell him?"

"Uh...we, Luca and I, were going to tell everyone today...at the same time," she turns to face her sister and smiles, "but I couldn't do it. I wanted to tell you two first. I kinda..._needed..._to." She lets her gaze travel between her mother and sister, smiling at the two of them until the unspoken agreement to go downstairs and tell everyone else is made.

Before they can leave the room, though, Hannah grabs her wrist, smiling at her.

"Jo, I know you're scared, but, uh...congratulations. It might be earlier than you guys planned, but a baby is still...incredible," she says softly, smiling at her sweetly, holding out her free arm. Josie accepts the side-hug and thanks her sister before they head downstairs.

As soon as they join the group in the dining room, Hannah and her mom go back to their seats. Hannah is still smiling, and she sees her mom take her father's hand on the table and squeeze it. She motions for Lucas to stand up, which he does. His hand wraps around her waist, fingers splaying over her hips as her pulls her close, giving her the support she needs to make this announcement.

It comes out shakily, but she does manage to say: "We're having a baby."

His parents both hug him in congratulations—she wonders if parents feel the same way about a boy knocking a girl up at such a young age as they do about girls getting pregnant in their teens—and she gets a hug from Lanie and a handshake and smile from Javi. James, too, gives her a hug, and proceeds to warn Luca that if he does _anything to hurt his baby sister, _he'll pay.

Hannah gives her another hug, and one to Luca, as well, and her mother stands to congratulate her again, hugging Luca as well. Her dad is the last to hug her, and he whispers his congratulations into her ear. He pats Luca on the back and makes it clear that they'll _all _be talking later.

Their talk goes better than expected, though. The homicidal thoughts she had expected from her dad had been quickly shot to bits when Lucas told him how he'd be there for her, no matter what, and everything else he'd told her in the week since they found out, the promises, the commitments and the love. He even lets Luca stay the night, saying that she needs him right now—he's right.

Before they all head off to bed, he pulls her aside and hugs her again, kissing her temple and telling her that if she _ever needs anything, daddy's here for her._


	43. prompt 43: our soon-to-be family

**Prompt from a guest here on fanfiction: Kate and Rick are dancing in the loft and Alexis catches them and thinks about how far they have come and the family they are becoming. ****_Takes place post-Veritas, pre-For Better or Worse. Written in Alexis'POV_**

* * *

As she walks up to their door, she hears the soft music coming from inside: a slow song she can't put her finger on, but that sounds vaguely familiar. She smiles to herself as she grips the doorknob and turns it slightly, the sight in front of her making her smile a little wider, and reminding her what song it is.

_In My Veins_ by Andrew Belle, their wedding song. _Of course._

In front of her, though, almost completely lost in each other, are her father and Kate. And unlike _all _the other times when she's waked in to find them lost in each other, this time, she won't need therapy to get over what she sees.

Her dad is standing there with Kate in his arms, his hands draped low on her waist and holding her against him. Kate's hands are up and wrapped around his neck, and from where she stands, Alexis can see the way Kate's fingers are playing with the hair as her father's nape. Both of them are dressed in their pajamas—her dad in just a pair of cotton bottoms, Kate in one of his t-shirts and a pair of short cotton shorts that hang loosely on her hips.

She quickly remembers that today is their last day off after the whole fugitive and Bracken debacle, and is glad to see they're enjoying it. Captain Gates had given them five days off to recover from everything that had happened, and they had been a roller coaster of emotion.

The first, she had gotten a real explanation of everything that had happened from both Kate and her father—the countless apologies from Kate for almost getting her dad killed were hard to forget, especially when everything turned out okay and a killer was behind bars.

The second day, Kate had spent in bed—she had gotten up in the morning to find her dad making her coffee, smiling sadly as he looked towards their bedroom.

The third, she had come out and watched TV, curled up in her dad's arms as he kissed her head and soothed whatever need soothing. She hadn't really spoken to either of them, that day, just let them mix their recovery with celebration as they watched report after report about Bracken's arrest on the news.

The fourth, yesterday, Kate had been much more...normal, in Kate Beckett's way. She had made breakfast, smiled and wished her a good day before she left for school. When she came home, she sitting on the couch with a book—_Heat Wave_, to be exact—and had looked up and asked her how her day was upon seeing her.

Today, though, the memories of yesterday strike her like lightning. And as she watches her dad dance with his fiance, it strikes her that they are getting married in just over a week, and that they're going to be a family, the three of them. And she's surprised to find that she's more excited to have Kate as her step-mother than anything else.

Kate cares in a way she's never had someone care before. She treats her like a friend, but seems to care for her in a way that goes far beyond friendship. They talk like best friends, but she goes to Kate for advice before anyone else. If someone was to ask her today who she looked up to, as a _mother _figure...she's pretty sure she would answer Kate—her gram might of been around for longer, but she doesn't exactly want to follow in her footsteps the way she would be honored to follow in Kate's.

She snaps out of her reverie as the song comes to an end, shaking her head and blinking quickly to regain focus. In front of her, her dad and Kate share a soft, sweet kiss, smiles meeting in the middle before they separate, hands slowly sliding out from around each other.

Kate blinks quickly when her eyes land on her, smiling as she welcomes her home. She smiles back as she slips off her jacket and kicks off her shoes, walking further into the loft to stand closer to the couple.

"Excited, I take it?" she asks, motioning with a tilt of her head to the phone sitting on the nearby counter. A blush rises to Kate's cheeks as she nods, being tugged against Castle's side. She chuckles softly at her soon-to-be step-mom's reaction. "It's okay, Kate. You're supposed to be excited, you know? Besides, I think we're all pretty excited."

Kate looks up at her with a smile. They've already spoken about whether or not she minds the new addition to the family—it had been odd, soothing Kate's insecurities. She can tell, though, that Kate still likes to hear it. Her dad told her that, too, thanking her one morning for making Kate feel so _welcome. _It had never been an issue, really. Once it had been clear that Kate was in this for the long-shot and that she really made her dad happy, she had been happy to welcome the woman into the family._  
_

It's great, having a _family._

"Come here, you," says her dad suddenly, and she smiles as she walks into his open arm. "What are you thinking about, pumpkin?"

She shrugs, mumbling softly, half-embarrassed: "Family."

His grip in her tightens, and she looks up to see Kate blushing, resting her cheek against his shoulder. She smiles.

"I'm excited, Kate, for you to be part of our family. I mean, you already are and everything, but...you know?" She nods in response. "And, who knows, maybe I'll have a sibling soon, too."


	44. prompt 44: I never thought it was you

**Prompt from a guest here on fanfiction: Gates and Kate talk after 6x17 when she finds out all that has happened from the boys. ****_Okay, so you kinda confused me with this one because I wasn't sure if you wanted one where Gates finds everything out in 6x17 or where they talk after she finds everything out (but that happens in 6x22). Anyway, this is actually after 6x22, Veritas._**

* * *

Her hand is firmly in her fiance's as they prepare to leave the precinct, _finally. _It's been a long evening of giving statements, explaining things they said and did, apologizing for going behind the NYPD's back and performing an investigation on a so-called closed case. And now, she just wants to go home and girl up in bed...maybe after they celebrate _finally _getting Bracken behind bars.

It's much to her dismay that she hears her captain's voice calling her name behind her just before he kits the button to call the elevator. Ryan and Esposito had already given them the okay to go home, telling them their statements were all in order and that there was nothing they were needed for anymore, so she has no idea why Gates apparently wants to talk to her.

She presses a kiss to Castle's cheek, whispering to him to wait for her, that she'll be right back. He seems hesitant to release her hand—she knows everything that's happened is still hard for him to cope with, that the fact that he almost lost her _again_, two weeks before their wedding has him more on edge than usual.

She's pretty sure Gates won't try to kill her, though.

She kisses his cheek again quickly before he releases her hand and lets her go, and she heads to the captain's office in a quick walk. She still wants to go home, and the longer this takes, the longer it'll be before she gets to do just that.

She closes the door behind her as she walks into her boss' office, taking a step deeper into the room to face the nor smiling nor frowning captain. She's just looking at her, almost as if trying to figure something out, and she fights the urge to squirm under the inquisitive pair of dark brown eyes.

"Sir?"

Captain Gates seemed to snap out of...whatever she had been wondering or thinking as her best detective addresses her.

"You, uh...wanted to see me?"

The captain nods, motioning with her hand to a chair nearby. She goes to get it, bringing it to the front of Gates' desk before sitting down, hands interlocking and resting on her lap, fidgeting nervously.

"The boys told me...well, everything," says Gates, and her breath catches in her throat instantly.

All her actions from the past few years run through her mind at lightning speed. She could be charged, suspended or even fired for the things she's done, from withholding evidence to assault with a deadly weapon.

"Don't worry, detective Beckett," says Gates, and she shakes her head to rid her face of the dear in headlights look she's sure was on it. "I'm not going to charge you with anything, or suspend you, or fire you."

She nods. "Thank you, sir."

Gates smiles at her. "I actually wanted to make sure you knew I never thought you were guilty of anything. Well, I knew you were hiding things, but I didn't think you killed anyone, detective."

She nods again.

"I know my past in IA might make that hard to believe. It's not that I don't believe that cops can commit crimes, I just don't think _you_ could kill anyone, knowing what it's like to be..." she trails, leaving the rest of her sentence unsaid, but hanging in the air between them.

_The one left behind._

"That's why I asked the boys if there was anything I should know. I wanted to help you," she says, making her smile at the loyalty her captain has to her. Gates might not be Montgomery, and they might of had their ups and downs, but she's still a good captain who cares for her people and will obviously do a lot to help them. "Turns out, you didn't need my help."

She smiles to herself, even as Gates watches her. She's right she didn't need _her _help, but she did need help. She steals a glance through the office's open blinds, eyes locking on the blue ones watching her every move as the person they belong to sits in his chair at the end of her desk. She smiles a little wider, and he smiles back.

"But his did come in handy, didn't it?" Gates' voice once again sounds through the office. She turns to her captain with wide eyes at the sudden words, worry overwhelming her at the realization that he could be charged, too. Gates is quick to shoot down those worries: "Don't, detective. I'm not going to charge him either."

She smiles in thanks, stealing one last quite glance at her fiance before turning back to her captain to finish their conversation.

"You guys have achieved great things, detective. I have to admit, the cases you guys closed today are by far some of the hardest cases I've ever seen, considering most of them have been considered closed for _years_ and our guilty party is a very powerful man." She nods knowingly, remembering Bracken's threats, Pulgatti's words.

_"There's nothing more dangerous out there than a killer with a badge."_ She sighs softly, thinking to herself: _except killer who's a Senator running for presidential candidacy._

"I would like to congratulate you on a case closed. You have proven to be one of, if not _the_, best detective I have ever known. And Mr. Castle, well, over the years he's proven to be more useful than I initially expected, but this...he's proven me wrong, Kate," she says, shocking Kate with the use of her first name, and the long overdue admission that Castle is useful.

He's always been more useful than anyone thought he would be. She never thought that the _self-centered, egotistical jackass_ would be the man she would fall in love with, that would help her finally catch her mom's killer, and that she would marry.

"Now, detective, I would like you, _both of you_, to take the next five days off."

"But, sir, we're already taking three-" she begins arguing instantly, until she's interrupted.

"I know. You guys are taking three weeks off for your honeymoon. But you've been through a lot, Beckett. You were accused of murder, branded a fugitive, almost killed and you finally caught your mother's killer. You must be exhausted," she counters, raising her eyebrows almost knowingly.

"I'm fine, sir. We're both fine," she argues back, but as she glances at a still worried looking Castle, she wonders if her words are true. He doesn't worry about her for nothing, since he knows better than anyone that she can hold her own. And it has been a stressful few days, both physically and emotionally. Maybe Gates is right, she decides.

"It's not a suggestion, detective. You and Mr. Castle will both take the next five days off. Understood?"

She nods.

"You are free to go, now. I just wanted to make sure you knew I never thought you were guilty. And I wanted to congratulate you," says Gates, eyebrows still raised, but now more expectantly than anything.

She smiles as she stands up. "Thank you, for your trust, sir," she says as she turns at the door.

"You're welcome, detective. You've earned it. Now, I don't want to see you back in my precinct for the next five days."


	45. prompt 45: gift for the guests

**Prompt from jasamlante here on fanfiction: would you somehow continue prompt 21: not my style? ****_So, this is not a direct continuation, but one that definitely goes with prompt 21. Keep in mind that prompt 21 was written pre-Veritas, so everything happened in that episode and For Better or Worse did not happen in this story._**

* * *

She stands in front of the mirror in his—soon-to-be _their_—Hamptons home, glancing at the profile reflection of herself and smiling.

With the dress on, just like three days ago, the bump is rather obvious, and she knows _everyone _will be able to see it as she pledges her life to Castle, the love of her life, the father of her children. He knows that it's her plan—without telling him much about the dress, she had told him that the gown was rather tight over her belly, telling him that everyone would be able to see that she's pregnant—to tell everyone today just by giving them the chance to see her baby bump. It'll save them _a lot _of phone calls.

The white lace gown covers her slightly swollen stomach perfectly, drawing attention to a place where it would normally be unwanted. Now, she wants nothing more than for everyone to know that she's now nine weeks pregnant—_nine weeks pregnant already_—with his babies. It's still so surreal, she thinks, as she runs her hand over the bulge, over her children.

"You ready?" a voice behind her asks. She recognizes it immediately as her father—they told him yesterday before the rehearsal dinner, so he wouldn't be caught off guard if he was to find out right before he walked her down the aisle. She turns away from her own reflection, still smiling, hand still on her stomach.

"Yeah, I'm ready," she whispers. He smiles at her and holds out the small—tiny, really—bouquet that she plans on carrying down the aisle. She takes it and turns back to the mirror.

Once again standing profile, she holds the bouquet in her left hand, holding it out in front of her and slightly to the side, the three calla lily stems barely grazing the skirt of her gown. She smiles at the way she can still see the bump clearly, fully intent on not hiding it with flowers. She can feel her father's eyes on her, can practically picture his smile as he watches her.

He's always wanted to be a grandpa, and in a little less than seven months, he will be one to two, certainly beautiful little babies. He hasn't stopped smiling around her since they told him the joyous news.

She can't blame him. She has barely stopped smiling since she found out, too—one of the many, _many _things Castle loves about her being pregnant. She has to admit, she loves it, too. She had never expected to be this _happy _when she found out she was pregnant—she had always imaged that the joy that should come with bringing a child into the world would be clouded by the grief over her own mother, or the fear to do all this without her. But, she's found that, even with the grief and the fear, the reality of being _pregnant _with two little ones is so joyous it can overshadow any amount of pain.

She runs her hand over her baby bump one last time, still smiling to herself, before walking over to her dad and slipping her arm through his. He leads her down the stairs and just outside, and from where she's standing, she watches the wedding begin.

She can only see people's backs, but she watches as Kevin and Jenny walk down the aisle. And then Esposito leads Maddie. And then Lanie walks down, and by now she's standing only a few feet from the end of the aisle herself.

Even as Lanie takes her last few steps down the aisle, Rick's eyes lock on hers. She can see the tears in them already—and _God_ she's not going to cry already. Yet, she's so...mesmerized...by the look of absolute love and adoration in his blue eyes that she only starts walking forward when her dad gently tugs on her arm._  
_

She doesn't snap out of her trance until the expected gasps sound around her, her baby bump on display for all to see. Her smile—brought on by sheer joy and love because she's getting _married _to the love of her life and their having _twins_—matches his as she takes her final few steps to the altar.

Her dad kisses her cheek as Lanie takes her bouquet and Castle takes her hand. She only really has eyes for Castle right now, as he runs a hand over her swollen stomach, as if to confirm everyone's suspicions. She smiles as she reaches down and lets her hand join his, letting it linger over their children before she wraps her fingers around his and lets their joined hands hang between them like the minister is asking.

She doesn't pay attention to half of what he says, barely makes out his words as her eyes stay locked on the blue ones she loves so much.

In his vows, he promises to always be there for her, and their children—the plural form of the word has the crowd gasping again, and she feels her smile widen. He promises they'll never be boring, even when she's stuck on desk duty. He promises to be there through joy and pain alike, to hold her hand and kiss her worries away, or to celebrate alongside her. he's crying by the time he finishes speaking—and as absolutely sappy as it is, her heart melts.

In her vows, she promises to always love him, to open up to him and to let him see the parts of her she's used to hiding. She returns the promise to always be there for him and their children—she cries as she tells him she will do everything in her power not to get herself killed, images of her mother flashing through her mind. And she returns the promise to never be boring, like they talked about. By the time she finishes, he's bringing his hand to her face to wipe away her tears, and even though everyone is watching, she lets him.

As he slips the ring on her finger, a white gold band inlaid with diamonds—small enough so she can still wear it at work—he whispers a promise they've made many times before. As she slips the platinum band—the third and last one—onto his finger, his whispers the same promise.

_Always._

And they spend the rest of the night wrapped in each other's arms, confirming that they're having twins, planting soft, loving kisses on each other's lips and basking in what can only be described as pure love.


	46. prompt 46: Lovers, Cops & Robbers

**Prompt for a guest here on fanfiction: Rick and Kate are married during 4x07 and instead of Martha being held with Rick, it's Rick and Alexis. ****_Takes place in the universe of _****prompt 30: lover boy****_ and _****prompt 33: the lovers.**

* * *

The minute the bank explodes takes the number one spot on the list of the scariest moments in her life, and she decides that the minute she takes a slow, tentative step out of the hostage negotiation bus.

Every single moment that her life flashed before her eyes as she prepared to face death pales in comparison.

Every single time that Castle's life was almost taken and he was saved at the _very last _second pale in comparison to this time.

Because this time, not only is her husband of just over a year, the love of her life, in a bank that _just _exploded, but their daughter is, too. And the last thing she needs _right now _is to lose her husband and daughter.

Right now, she needs them more than ever before, still recovering from the shooting that almost took her life—even _that_ pales in comparison to this exact moment—and now..._pregnant. _She can't do this without him, without _them_. She can't grieve for them, gain strength and carry a child all at the same time.

She's absolutely positive that she can't be excited for the impending arrival of a new baby when she just lost her first baby.

Yeah, something tells her that's not what the doctor ordered when her pregnancy is already considered high risk. The doctor probably doesn't want her going into smoke filled buildings, either, but right now she just really needs to know if her husband and daughter are okay, and she isn't really thinking straight. So she's the first one in the newly exploded bank—yes, despite Ryan and Esposito telling her she should let someone else go—flashlight in one hand and gun in the other.

She's calling his name as loudly as she can, desperation seeping into her voice at the lack of reply. And finally she hear him yell back, her surname never sounding so undeniably amazing. And she's running in what she guesses is his direction, met with the sight of a cell full of seemingly perfectly okay hostages.

Her eyes land on him instantly, and a smile comes across her lips before she can even think to stop it. He's sitting there, in the corner where cement wall meets metal cage. His blue eyes are shining as they land on her, a smile coming across his own face as he takes in the sight of her—she wonders if, like her, he wondered if that last time they'd see each other would be as she went undercover as a paramedic in attempt to save him. She's _so _glad it wasn't, the relief that washes over her is almost indescribable.

Nuzzled against his side is Alexis, and she knows the only reason his arms aren't wrapped around her and holding as close as physically possible is because their hands are taped together.

"Momma!" says Alexis, reaching out even though, like everyone else's, her hands are taped together and she can't really grab anything, even if it was right in front of her.

She practically runs to them and drops to her knees, not caring about the fact that the cement is hard and hurts as she does so. The first thing she does is cut the tape surrounding their wrists—and _God, _she hates the fact that they restrained Alexis when she's still so young.

The minute she's free of the restraints, Alexis practically flings herself into her mother's arms, small arms wrapping around her mother's neck. Kate wraps her one arm around her little girl, the other reaching out to her husband. He smiles at her reassuringly and sits up straighter, wrapping his one arm around her waist and pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

This is _so _unprofessional, but she doesn't care.

It's a tap on her shoulder that has her looking up, tearing her eyes off her family. Esposito is towering over her, and with a quick motion and a simple command, he orders her _out _of the bank. His glance down at her stomach is pointed and she nods before scrambling to her feet. Alexis does the same, as does Castle, and she leads them out of the bank.

Once their behind the yellow line, her police uniform making it look odd that she's walking out of the bank wrapped in one of the hostages arms, another one leaning into her side and holding her hand, she turns and gives him a full on hug. Alexis' arms wrap around their waists as well, and she can't help but cry because _they're okay. _

"You shouldn't of gone in there," he whispers into her ear, his fingertips running up and down her sides and back. She sighs against him.

"You're not allowed out of my sight for the next seven months. This baby needs a father, Rick. I need you," she mumbles back, the tears welling in her eyes without her permission, even though no one else would really care that she's crying right now.

"Shh...Kate. It's okay. This was a freak thing, okay? I'm glad you weren't with us. It would've been bad for you and the baby. Just, stay calm, Kate," he whispers back to her, as Alexis releases their legs. "Don't worry. Mother just got here. Alexis is just going to see her," he reassures her instantly, as if sensing the worry that instantly wells inside her.

"Okay," she murmurs. "Okay. I'm okay. And you guys are okay. I was just...scared," she whispers, her tears falling from her eyes to land on the collar of his shirt.

"I know, Kate. _God,_ I was scared went you were in the bank _after _the explosion, even though I knew everything was going to be okay. Trust me, I get it. I know what it's like to almost lose you," he whispers, and she shakes her head against his neck.

"But you don't know what it's like to almost lose _her_," she argues, leaving no doubt that by _her _she means Alexis. "And you don't know what it's like to be pregnant and to be told your pregnancies high risk and to still be recovering from a gunshot wound and to have PTSD, Rick. I almost lost both of you today, and then I'd be left alone to get through this _really hard _pregnancy and to raise this baby and..." she trails and groans loudly, pushing him away slightly. "I hate being all hormonal and crap!"_  
_

He swallows back a laugh as his hand continues to rub her back. The other slips around her waist to run over her barely-there baby bump. Fourteen weeks in and she's still barely showing, but the doctor doesn't seem worried about that. She's smiling as her hand falls to intertwine with his.

"You know, you can't get rid of me that easily. If I have any say in it at all, Kate, I'm gonna be here with you for every step of the way, with Alexis and with this little baby, okay?" he asks. She nods as if it's actually a question. "I know this is all hard on you, Kate. Trust me, I didn't plan on being taken hostage today. "

She looks up at him and presses a kiss to his lips.

"I know, babe. I just..." she trails as he nods. He understands. He always does. She smiles a little wider. "And, uh...thank you, for keeping Alexis safe and promising to not leave me alone."

He leans in a presses another kiss to her lips, mumbling against them: "Always."

She pulls away first, smiling at him widely as if she hadn't just been crying two minutes ago. He smiles back and pulls her close, their hands falling from her belly to hang between them. She leans into him, resting her head on his shoulder, as they walk over to Martha and Alexis.

Esposito and Ryan can fill her in on the case the next day, she decides.


	47. prompt 47: just in case

**Prompt from elephantstheyneverforget on tumblr on the castlefanficprompts blog on tumblr: ****_Castle_****/Beckett is deaf and Castle/****_Beckett_**** have to learn sign language to talk to them. ****_This is loosely based from a few scenes from 'General Hospital' that I loved._**

* * *

She enters the room to find Alexis sitting at the end of his bed, holding up a dry erase board that reads in large, black letters: _Do you want something to drink?_ And she watches as her husband shakes his head no.

She sighs softly, catching Alexis' attention. It's the sudden turn of his daughter's head that catches Rick's though. He can't hear her, and she knows he hates it.

The doctors say it might be only temporary, that the bomb could of messed something up in his ear that will eventually fix itself, but they don't know for sure if, and if so, when, this fix might occur, and have already suggested she learn sign language. Which is why she's here now, even though he sent her home to hours ago to get some rest in her bed.

_The baby needs it_, he had said. And that was one way to effectively convince her of just about everything.

Alexis smiles at her before standing up and leaving. She watches as her step-daughter leaves the room, smiling at the younger woman's back as she disappears behind the closed door. And then she turns back to her worried looking husband.

She walks over to him, taking a seat in the chair at his bedside that Alexis just vacated. His hand is on her swollen stomach almost instantly, his hand cradling her now 5-months-along baby bump. He smiles when he feels their baby kick gently against his palm, and she smiles, too. She's glad that, even though her words can't bring him comfort, her touch—and their baby's—can.

"You sleep okay?" he asks, his voice a little louder than usual. It's been like that since the explosion—the doctor's say it's natural for people who can't hear themselves to speak louder than they normally would, so she doesn't worry.

She smiles and nods, already reaching for the dry erase board at her left. She writes a quick message on it before turning it so he can see: _The docs think we should learn sign language. Just in case._

He grimaces, making her feel even worse for him than she already does. She can't image being deaf, never hearing anything again, never hearing their baby cry, or his first word, or even _hearing _her husband tell her he loves her ever again. It seems so horrible, the image of living like that, and it makes her hope and pray his hearing will come back all that much more.

She turns the board around again, erasing what's written on it with the side of her hand, and writes out another sentence, quickly showing it to him: _I looked it up and learned a few signs._

He nods in a approval, the smallest hint of a smile coming across his lips as she smiles at him and mouths 'okay'.

She starts off with a simple one, scribbling another sentence down on the board and letting him read it: _I am your... _And then she brings her hand to her chin, touching it with the back of her slightly curled fingers before bringing her hand down to join it with her other one, fingers of her right hand falling into the space between her left thumb and forefinger.

"Wife," he says right away, and she knows he didn't need to movements to decipher it, but wants him to know what the various signs mean. She nods happily before repeating the process.

_You are my..., _is written on the board this time. He smiles knowingly but doesn't speak as she brings her hand up to touch the side of it to her forehead before joining her hands the same way as before.

"Husband."

This time, instead of writing on the board, she runs her hand over her baby bump lovingly, and he reaches over to do the same, already smiling wide. She loves how happy their baby makes him, and finds herself fighting the urge to just hold his hand against her belly and enjoy sitting here with him as they enjoy their child together. Instead, she raises her arms and brings them to her chest, as if cradling a baby in them, and rocks them gently back and forth.

"Baby," he says right away, hand pressing a little more into her belly and she finally lets her hand fall to join his. "Our baby," he says, looking down at her belly, making tears spring to her eyes.

"Yes, babe, our baby," she whispers, even though he can't hear her. She wipes the tears from her eyes with the hand that hasn't joined his on her belly before reaching for the board again. He holds it steady for her with his free hand as she writes, raising his eyebrows when she flips it so he can read what it says.

_This one is the most important._

She doesn't write anything else. She brings her hand up in front of her, palm towards him, pressing her middle and ring finger down into her palm, the rest of her fingers perfectly straight. He smiles in recognition, and with his newly free hand returns the gesture.

_I love you._

_I love you, too._

She leans over to kiss him softly, unable to stay seated any longer. His lips caress hers lovingly, just like they always have, and she sighs softly in contentment. Before pulling away slowly.

"More?" he asks, motioning with a slight tilt of his head towards the discarded board. She shakes her head no and kisses him again, just as softly as the first time. He once again returns the kiss, his one hand finding her belly, the other finding her jaw. When they separate, she leans her against his chest, the steady tattoo of his heart echoing in her ear.

He carefully pulls her onto the bed, holding her as close as possible with her baby bump between them. His hand still rests over their child, the other wrapped around her waist.

"I love you, so much," she whispers, hoping that one day he'll hear the words slipping so effortlessly from her mouth again.


	48. prompt 48: Secret Santa Baby

**Prompt from a guest here on fanfiction: Kate is pregnant during 5x09.**

* * *

She sighs softly as she glances around the practically empty bullpen, the desks around her vacant with piles of paperwork stacked up on them, left for another day.

Esposito is...who knows where? Possibly somewhere trying to pick up a girl, for all she knows. Still, it's something that's allowing him to _enjoy _his night.

Ryan is at home with Jenny, possibly already working on that baby they want to have—and though she shudders at the thought of the man who's like a brother to her in bed with his wife, she can't help but wonder what she would be doing _right now _had she not taken this shift.

She knows where she'd be. She'd be at the loft with Castle—this early in the evening, Alexis and Martha would probably still be there, too. He'd have his arms around her, possibly curled on the couch next to her. Or maybe they'd be acting all domestic and she'd be helping him cook Christmas dinner as if it's the most natural thing in the world.

She sighs audibly and glances up at the clock, even though she's going to be here _all night_ and the best thing she's going to get out of him this Christmas Eve is possibly a phone call.

She knows she took this shift for a reason. This has been _her _tradition since the day she joined the force, and that's exactly what she told him. She knows that Christmas will always be tainted by the fact that in only fifteen days it'll be the anniversary of her mother's death.

She glances over at the murder board in attempt to distract herself, but finds it unusually empty. Christmas usually brings out the crazies, not send them into hiding.

This shift would be so, _so _much easier if she actually had something to do that wasn't paperwork of thinking about her boyfriend.

But with nothing to do, and the paperwork being the least appealing thing in the world right about now, she lets her mind drift back to her boyfriend. And as her mind drifts, her hand does too, and in the empty bullpen, detective Beckett sat at her desk, absentmindedly caressing her stomach, growing to accommodate the child she's still learning to accept.

It's not that she doesn't _want _the baby. _God, _that's so far from the truth. She already loves this baby, and that scares her more than anything. Because she _loves _this baby who—according to the internet—is only the size of a raspberry and could easily, _so easily_, be taken from her in the blink of an eye.

But she's not sure if she's ready to be a mother yet. She didn't even know if she wanted children until her heart skipped a beat when the plus sign appeared on that home pregnancy test. And now, as much as she wants the baby and loves the baby, it's still so...surreal...and scary.

Her relationship with Castle is still so _new. _They haven't even been together for six months. And though he had been absolutely overjoyed when she told him they were having a baby, it still seems like this is coming way too early and that their relationship is going way too fast.

And she knows that's the real reason he's upset that she's working Christmas, that she _volunteered _to work on Christmas instead of staying at the loft with him. And she knows he's worried because this is her tradition and she's obviously not ready to let it go, _yet._ And she knows he's probably scared that even when the baby gets here, she won't be able to give it up.

And she's not sure she will be, as much as she wants to think she will be.

She sighs again and sinks deeper into her chair, raising her shirt a little bit to run her hand against the bare skin of her miniature bump.

Truth be told, she really _wants _to be at his place, with him, celebrating Christmas, watching cliche movies usually meant for kids, curled up in his arms. She _wants _that. And it _scares _her.

She hasn't been part of a family on Christmas for thirteen years—well, thirteen Christmases—and it's scary to think that she will have that again. Castle's family, unlike hers, looks at Christmas as a time for miracles and happiness. She doesn't want the pain she goes through every Christmas to rain on their parade.

She doesn't want it to ruin Christmas for this innocent little baby.

She's not sure she's ready to celebrate Christmas with a family again, even though there's an undeniable ache in her chest that tells her she _does _want to be at the loft with the man she loves and his family and not here at the precinct. She can feel it in her gut, the urge to go _home _and celebrate Christmas as a family, to prepare to do it again next year...with a baby.

She can picture it now, Castle holding a mostly naked baby against his t-shirt clad chest. The baby, boy or girl—it doesn't really matter for the scene playing behind her now closed eyelids—is wearing nothing but their diaper and a Santa hat that Castle no doubt stuck on their little head. Five months old, that's how old their baby will be by next Christmas, able to sit up on his or her own and explore the world in a baby's way. Castle will spoil the little baby rotten...and she probably will, too.

"Beckett?" a voice sounds through the bullpen and her eyes snap open to meet Karpowski's. She's smiling sweetly, and sends a pointed glance down at her revealed stomach, still being cradled by her palm. She blushes and removes her hand from the place where her baby lay, pulling her shirt down in the process.

"Hi, Karpowski. I didn't know you were working?" It comes out more as a question than a statement. Karpowski is still smiling, though, eyes traveling between her face ans her stomach. Kate smiles self-consciously, because she hadn't exactly planned on telling people yet, but she just made it completely obvious. Karpowski looks back up and meets her eyes again.

"Oh, I'm not. I just came into get some paperwork done an hour or so ago," she explains. Kate nods.

"Makes sense, being the holidays and all. Any plans for tonight?" she asks, pushing herself to sit up straighter.

"Nope. The kids aren't getting in until tomorrow and my husband is working tonight," says Karpowski. Kate smiles and nods in acknowledgement, letting her eyes drift towards the elevator. "You look like you have somewhere to be, though?"

"What? Oh, uh...no. I'm on shift right now. Can't really go anywhere," she says, forcing a smile even as a hint of sadness taints her voice.

"But you want to go somewhere?" she asks, her gaze pointedly falling to her stomach, then shifting towards the elevator before once again meeting her own. She swallows hard.

"Uh...yeah...I guess. I'm kinda starting to second guess my decision about taking the shift this year," she admits softly, feeling her gut twist as she says the words out loud.

"Go ahead, Beckett. I'll cover for you. I'll just talk to Gates about it in the morning," says Karpowski, and Kate can't help the joyful smile that comes across her lips.

"Thank you," she says, not even bothering to try and stay. After years of taking this shift, she's never been so desperate to be home on Christmas Eve. Then again, she's never been loved the way she's loved now. She's standing, slipping on her jacket and heading for the elevator within the minute.

"Beckett?" Karpowski calls from behind her, and she turns, eyebrows raised. "Congratulations. And tell Castle congratulations, too."

"Thanks," she says with a nod before hitting the button to call the elevator.

When she gets to his loft, she's pleased to see the shocked look on his face when he sees her, and can tell he was just on his way out the door. She's smiling widely before either one of them speak.

Later, when he holds her against his chest—Alexis rescheduled her skating date with Max, and Martha had gone out as well—with his arm wrapped around her waist, palm splayed over her stomach, she knows she made the right decision.

And when he whispers: "Next year, will be celebrating Christmas with a baby, Kate," against her head, mumbling into her hair as he presses a kiss there, she's never been more excited for next Christmas to come.


	49. prompt 49: the things you will hear

**Prompt from CassieCastle47 here on fanfiction and castlefanfics on tumblr: continue this one [prompt 47: just in case] where he gets his hearing back. ****_This is loosely based on the same 'General Hospital' story line/scenes as the other one, so the medical information might not be correct. Takes place two days after prompt 47._**

* * *

His steady breath is warm against her neck as she lays neck to him, his arms securely wrapped around her, her back pressing to his chest. He's asleep behind her, hands splayed across her belly even as he sleeps.

He managed to talk the nurse into letting her stay while he's in the hospital the evening of his second day here, and she knows it's because she showed up that morning looking like she didn't sleep at all. Being Castle, he had worried about her, and when she _wasn't _there, had a 'conversation' with the nurse, made _another _donation to the hospital, pulled some strings and got permission to have her stay with him overnight.

For the first time in a while, she hadn't minded breaking the rules, not if it meant being with him.

Last night, like the one before, he had patted the spot on the bed next to him. She had crawled into bed with him, her back to him like it is now. With her baby bump, it's easier and more comfortable to spoon rather than to rest her head on his chest. He doesn't mind—it makes it easier to rest his hands on her belly, he had explained. It was his hand caressing the skin of her bump and his fingers running through her hair that has lulled her to sleep last night.

But, as usual, she's awake before him. She really doesn't mind, though. She enjoys just laying here in his strong arms, feeling safer than she's ever felt anywhere else. She likes enjoying his touch, the feel of his warm breath on her neck, the way their child kicks up a storm from within her. It's similar to the way he likes the rare mornings when he wakes up before her, and watches her sleep.

She wants to roll her eyes at her own thoughts, because she's realizing once again how _sappy _she's become since they got together. And it's gotten even worse in the five months that she's been pregnant—whether it's hormones or just an undeniable amount of love for the man who is now not only her husband, but the father of her child, as well, she doesn't really know.

Her hand reaches for his and she intertwines their fingers. Even as he sleeps behind her, his fingers curl as if to hold her hand. She smiles, wondering if he'll wake up soon.

She lays in his arms for a little while longer before he stirs behind her, and she squeezes his hand instinctively. When she feels his arms tighten around her, squeezing her gently, she sighs softly. When he loosens them, she rolls onto her back so she can see him.

His blue eyes are wide, sleep still lingering in the orbs, but slowly being replaced by happiness and love. His lips are curved upwards in the smallest of smiles, making him look content, but not overly happy. She reaches up and runs a hand down his cheek and jawline, thankful that his face is almost miraculously free of cuts or scrapes.

"Good morning," she mouths. He mouths it back, recognizing the words as they play across her lips.

He smiles at her sweetly and leans over to kiss her head, his hand once again finding her swollen belly, caressing the skin their through her—his —cotton t-shirt. Her hand joins his and she presses it to the spot where the baby was kicking earlier. He waits for a minute, but when nothing happens, he looks up at her.

She takes in his blue eyes again, reminding herself that even though he can't hear her, he's still her Richard Castle. The fatigue has now disappeared, and his eyes look just like they always have. They hold an indescribable, unbelievable amount of love. They have a glimmer of playfulness, even as he's stuck in the hospital, and a hint of child-like awe that hasn't faded since the day she told him about the baby.

Her hand finds his jawline, and she pulls him down for a good morning kiss. His lips curve slightly against hers, a small smile matching her own as their kiss goes from a quick peck to a loving embrace. She'll never get tired of feeling his lips against hers like this, of that she's sure.

When they pull apart, his other hand is playing with the tips of her hair. He's told her multiple times, insists that her hair looks better now that there's a baby on board. She's given up on trying to convince him otherwise.

The look in his eyes as he looks down at her, one hand on her belly, one hand in her hair, is enough to render her speechless, but make her want to tell him a million times over how much she loves him.

Sometimes, she just can't keep it in.

"I love you."

She expects him to say it back, because he's heard her say it often enough to recognize what she's saying without actually hearing it. But he doesn't. Instead, his eyes widen, then his brow furrows, as if she just told him she's from the moon. Eventually, he speaks:

"Say something else. I think...I think I _heard _you. But I don't want to just be imagining it. Kate, say something else, something I haven't heard you say enough times to image."

Her own eyes widen at his words and she wants to kiss him again, but he needs to make sure that this is real, that' he's really hearing her. So, she racks her brain for something to say that he hasn't heard her say a thousand times, but of course that only brings the things he has heard countless times to mind.

"Please, Kate. Something. Anything."

She feels the baby kick near his palm, and a smile instantly comes across both their faces.

"The baby...they know your voice. When you talk, the baby kicks more. Did you know that?" she asks, trying to keep it from coming back as an emotion flooded whisper. By the time she's done, he's crying, and she knows he heard.

Her arms wrap around his neck instantly, pulling him down to her. Her lips press to his neck, the first place they come in contact with, and she peppers kisses to all the skin she can reach, mumbling that she loves him between presses of her lips.

"I love you, too, Kate," he whispers to her, his voice back to normal, too. She pushes him away slightly, just enough to turn her head and press her lips to his almost frantically.

His hand still rests on her belly, and she's reminded that he _will _get to hear their baby's heartbeat again, and he _will _get to here their baby's first cry and first word and _everything_.

She half-hates the fact that the next thing he hears is her slightly choked sob, even if it's of pure joy and relief. He doesn't seem to mind.


	50. prompt 50: grief builds walls

**Prompt from PatienceFortitude here on fanfiction: Kate hasn't told Castle or anybody about being pregnant and suffers a miscarriage before she can. Blaming herself, she starts to pull away from Castle, putting her walls back up. _Written in Castle's POV. _****_So I had actually intended to make the 50th chapter of this story something sweet and fluffy, and then this happened._**

* * *

It started off one day when she stayed at work a little later than usual. Or well, he doesn't really know if she was at work, but she got home late. Her dinner, pasta left over from when he and Alexis had eaten earlier, had gone only half-eaten before she disappeared to take a shower and crawled into bed without saying more than two words to them. Alexis had asked him if she was okay. He had said yes, even though he hadn't been a hundred percent sure.

The next day, she was even later to get home, and she had sent him home earlier than usual. Even the boys seemed to notice, sending them both curious glance—Ryan even asked if they got into a fight, which they didn't. He had left graciously, though, knowing better than anyone that upsetting an already upset Beckett was the worst decision one could make. Later that evening, when she showed up at home, she had ignored everyone, failed to eat, and went straight to bed.

It wasn't until the third day—well, the morning of the fourth, to be specific—that he became really, _really _worried. She hadn't come home that third day, and he woke up the fourth morning to find her side of the bed cold and empty and her nowhere to be found. He had skipped breakfast and didn't say two words to Alexis or his mother that morning, and went straight to the precinct. He found her asleep on the break room couch. Karpowski told him she had been there when she showed up for her shift. His heart broke a little more when she asked what was up with her lately, and he didn't have an answer.

He spent the rest of that day trying to find one, and made little progress. He determined that the date wasn't one of importance, or at least not one that had been important before. The case wasn't triggering it, either—it had happened a few times, that their case had reminded her too much of her mother, but this case was a single woman who was shot in the head in her apartment. In fact, it was the opposite. On multiple occasions, he had caught her using the case as a distraction from whatever was upsetting her. It made the pain in her eyes fade a little, thinking about something else.

He had stayed at the precinct all day with her on day number four. He had decided from the moment he found her that morning that there was no way he was going to leave her alone at the precinct and risk her spending _another _night on the break room couch—she hadn't done that in over two and a half years, since before they got together. She had continuously thrown glances at him, as if trying to find a way to get him to leave, but knowing that she wouldn't be able to get rid of him. That evening, when they got home, she didn't eat. He went to bed at the same time as her, even if it was early, and watched her back until he was sure she had fallen asleep. He hated knowing she was upset and trying to hide it from him, and that she was sleeping without his arms around her.

But _today, _today has been the hardest. This morning, he once again woke up to find her side of the bed empty. He knew it was her day off, and when Alexis told him she hadn't seen her either, he had mildly panicked. After over two years of her confiding in him, finding her gone was hard, and he hadn't quite known what to do.

Out of people who _might _know where she is, he was left with one option: to go to the one person she often went to when she was upset, her mother.

That brings him here, to the present, where he swears his heart is literally breaking—he can feel the ache in his chest—because Kate is here, and he hates what he sees.

She's wearing a pair of black sweatpants and a charcoal grey sweatshirt that's way too big for her—he's pretty sure it's one of his old ones that he almost never wears. She's laying on the grass between the cramped headstones, forehead barely brushing the cool granite of her mother's stone. Her knees are pulled up against her chest, making her appear tiny. Her one hand is also against the gravestone, the other one looking to be on her stomach—he can't really tell from where he's standing. Her hair, skin and clothes are all damp from the mist-like rain...and he's pretty sure she's crying, too.

After all these years of seeing her through ups and downs, good times and bad, he's never, _ever _seen her look so broken.

He kneels down next to her as quickly as possible. He slips his hand between her and the grass and pulls her up against him, her body offering little resistance as he holds her against his chest. A choked sob escapes her lips as she buries her face into his shirt, her body practically limp against him.

"Kate, beautiful, what's going on? Why are you so upset?" he asks her softly, his hand rubbing up and down on her back to keep her warm—the rain is cold, and the last thing he needs after the past few days is for her to get sick.

She lets out another sob. "You're going to _hate _me," she says, trying and failing to pull away from him. She's weak from crying and laying in cold for who-knows-how-long.

"Whoa, Kate...I could, never, _ever _hate you," he whisper to her, pressing his lips to her head. She continues to cry against his chest.

"But...but I _lost _our baby, Rick! I was pregnant...and I _lost _her...lost her before I could tell you," she manages to say between sobs and pants. "I lost our...your baby before your even...even knew they...they existed."

The ache is his chest is even more painful. She had a _miscarriage_. She _lost their baby. _And he hates the fact that she's been dealing with this for days _without him _being there to help him. And she thinks he's going to hate _her _now, as if that's even possible. And she's sobbing against his chest.

And she _lost _their baby.

The grief hits him like lightning, and his grip around her tightens immediately. He didn't even know she was pregnant until like two seconds ago, and he already feels like he'll never get over this. He can only imagine how bad she's feeling right now...after celebrating being pregnant, miscarrying and dealing with the grief _alone _for days.

"Oh, _Kate_..." he says softly, pulling her as close as possible. "Kate, I could never hate you, not for something like this. You obviously weren't trying to lose the baby." She lets out another sob at his words, which he instantly regrets. "No, no, Kate. Please, calm down."

She does, or at least she tries to.

"Okay, now listen to me." She nods again him. "I love you, Kate. And we'll get through this. And I hate that you felt the need to hide this from me because your thought I'd hate you, but I'm not. I still love you, okay? And I'll help you through this."

She nods against him, again, and silence falls over them as he lets tears well in his eyes...the fact that their child is _gone _finally really hitting him She clings to him like her life depends on it, fingers clutching at his shirt and hair, arms wrapped around him almost painfully tight. He holds her in return, her quieting cries echoing in the cemetery's silence, until she speaks:

"You believe in everything...right? Do you...belie that people go somewhere...after...after they...they die?" she whispers, the words getting caught in her throat as she attempts to get them out. He tightens his grip on her.

"Yeah, Kate...I do," he answers just as softly. "Why?"

"Because..." He can hear the hesitation in her voice, and slips his hands under the hem of her sweater, his fingers running over the skin of her lower back, silently urging her on. "Because...that's why I came here. I...wanted to ask her...my mom...to look out for our baby, Rick. And then I was going to...go tell you," she explains. He feels her turn her head so she can glance at the headstone.

"I think she is, Kate. Your mom is looking out for our little one," he says softly, pressing a soft kiss to her head.

She just nods, again.


	51. prompt 51: daughter

**Prompt from Clarkson124: Alexis slips to Gates and the boys that Kate and Rick have been married for years and that Alexis is her biological daughter. ****_So, this was really hard to write, so Alexis only slips it to Gates, the boys found out earlier. Also, lets pretend the fight in 'Always' never happened and they weren't trying to hide if from everyone in season 5, just from Gates. And, like in the season finale, marriages don't show up on background checks, and Kate is like three years older than she really is. Finally, this takes place during 5x08 'After Hours'._**

* * *

She knows she shouldn't be doing this. She shouldn't be running into the precinct demanding to know where her _parents _are. She shouldn't be looking up at Gates and telling her she _needs _to know where her parents are, effectively confusing her parents' boss.

But her parents are pretty much all she has—and yes, by now she's accepted the possibility of losing them, but she still worries.

As soon as she shows up, asking for information, any information, on her parents current location, Gates looks at her like she has two heads. The captain's eyebrows furrow, eyes widening ever so slightly. Because looking for her _parents _isn't something she's done before.

She's practically mastered the skill of pretending she's only looking for her father by now. Her mom can take care of herself—not that her dad can't, but her mom's been doing this for well over a decade—and, besides, usually finding out where her dad is is the best way to find out where her mom is. She learned early on in their professional partnership that they barely ever go anywhere without the other—and she's glad it's that way, too, since she knows they always have each other's back.

The odd part is, she now realizes, that even though they're almost always together, they very rarely both end up on the verge of death. Because that's why she's panicking now...they're both missing.

And it's not that this _hasn't _happened before. About a year ago now, a similar incident occurred, but she had been out of town at the time. So, of course they hadn't expected her to know where her parents were at the time, and they didn't bother calling her—she had gotten upset with the boys, who claimed they didn't want her to worry.

This time, though, she's in town, and when Esposito called her to ask if she knew _anything _about where they might be, she knew something was up. So, she came here.

"Your _parents_?" asks Gates, breaking her from her racing thoughts. She nods quickly. "You mean your father?"

Ryan rests his hand on her elbow as if trying to calm her down, as if reminding her that revealing all this could cost her father his position at the precinct. She jerks her arm to shake it off, since her dad losing his position at the precinct is currently the least of her worries...he might be losing his _life_ right now, for all they seem to know.

"No, captain. I mean my parents: Mr. Castle _and _detective Beckett," she explains, and Gates' jaw practically hits the ground.

"You? Detective Beckett...your _mother_?" comes the captain's eventual, illiterate reply. Ryan's looking at her like he thinks she needs to sit down or something. "You are Detective Beckett _and _Mr. Castle's daughter?"_  
_

She simply nods.

"Let us explain, Sir," throws in Esposito, suddenly. His hand is one the younger girl's back, applying gentle, comforting pressure.

"You _knew _about this, detective Esposito?" she asks. He nods slowly, hesitantly, as she turns to his partner. "And you, detective Ryan?" He nods as well.  


"Sir, please, let us explain."

"No! I just want to know where they are," interrupts Alexis, bringing the attention back to her. "Listen. With all due respect, Captain Gates, this can wait. They can all explain what they know, why they lied..._whatever..._as soon as you guys find my parents," she insists.

"Could you just bottom line it for me, Alexis?"

She furrows her eyebrows at the Captain as if to ask why she really needs a bottom line _right now_, but decides to tell her anyway. "My mom, Kate Beckett, and my dad, Rick Castle, had a one night stand. I don't need to explain how _I _happened, I hope," she begins, adding a little extra venom to her voice to make it clear that she doesn't find _this _necessary when her parents are out doing who knows what. "Anyway, my dad, of course, offered to take care of her and the baby, since he was half at fault for everything. She dropped out of Stanford, they moved back here and eventually I was born. Apparently, it was right after my birth that they admitted their feeling for each other. They've been married for..._God_...seventeen years now."

By the time she's finished, Gates is looking at her like she just told her they're actually a family of martians.

Truth be told, it's a tad more complicated than that, but she really doesn't want to go into the details she's just recently learned.

According to her parents, it all started one day at a bar, where both her parents had been drinking—her mom had been quick to remind to _not _go to bars underage. It had been one of her friends from back then, Lizzie, that had pushed an overly drunk Kate aside to get to her boyfriend, effectively sending her stumbling against Castle's chest. He spilled his drink all over her, offered to help her clean off her shirt—he was drunk, too—and she agreed.

Her parents had out what happened after that, only telling her that they had eventually left the bar, together.

It was three weeks later that her mom found out she was pregnant, but it wasn't until a month or so later that she called him.

From what she understands, it had been one of the most awkward conversations of her parents' lives, discussing the child they hadn't planned on having, especially not together. They had quickly come to the consensus that they would keep the baby and raise her together. About two weeks later, she dropped out of Stanford—much to her parents' dismay—and they moved back to New York City, into the loft they still live in today.

They described the pregnancy as the period of time where they became best friends and began to fall in love—as they recounted the story, they had playfully bantered about who was flirting with who more over those nine months.

The early hours of the morning, only minutes after her birth marked the official beginning of their romantic relationship. It had started when he told her she was the most beautiful woman on the face of the earth. Of course, she had denied it, hair a mess and absolutely exhausted from having _just _given birth. He had insisted though, and told her he had thought that of her since the day they met. It had led to admitting their love for each other and kisses in the quiet, dark hospital room, they had told her.

They were married a year later, and have been ever since.

Montgomery had known about their relationship and had been completely okay with it. The boys had known from the beginning, too. Gates, however, had been clueless to it. And with her hatred for Castle, they had decided to keep it a secret as long as possible.

She's been in on the lies ever since her mom returned to the precinct, and has kept up with them. But now, now that they're _both _in danger, and she's at risk of losing _both _of them, she doesn't care about them.

She just wants to know where her parents are.

"Please, Sir, do you know _anything _about where they are?" she asks, desperation leaking into her voice.

"Not at the moment, Alexis. Why don't you go wait in the break room?" she answers before turning to the detectives still standing there. "You, Ryan, Esposito, go find something, _anything _about where this girl's parents are."


	52. prompt 52: I didn't think!

**Prompt from a guest here on fanfiction: Castle and Beckett's first fight as a couple. _Takes place after the events of 'After the Storm', but before 'Cloudy with a Chance of Murder'. Fair warning: I suck at writing fights. _**

* * *

"I can't believe you!" she shouts angrily, the loud sound of her voice echoing in the almost empty apartment.

Her eyes are wide and dark with rage. Her arms returning to a crossed position, draped across her chest as she stops flailing them. Her legs are locked, feet planted firmly on the floor. Her hair is slightly messy, from the way she's run her fingers through it more than necessary. Her jaw hangs slightly open as she glares at him, awaiting a reply he doesn't have.

He's really not sure how this...this _fight_...started in the first place. One minute, she was wrapped in his arms, his lips pressed to her head, him telling her he's _so _proud of her for not killing Bracken, and the next thing he knows she's standing across the room screaming at him

He's not quite sure what's going on, so he sits there, mouth hanging slightly open, watching her and waiting to figure out _what in the world _she's talking about.

"You... You actually thought I would _kill _him?" she shouts again, arms flailing, eyes raging and frantic.

He swallows hard as it suddenly hits him. "No, Kate...calm down."

"No!" she shouts, turning to face him, her blazing green eyes locking on his, which widen instantly. "No, Castle. I won't _calm down. _You actually thought I was going to _kill _him!"_  
_

He takes a slow tentative step towards her, watches her eyes widen as she backs away. She looks almost scared of him, even though he knows she's not. He's not really sure what she's afraid of.

"How could you, Castle? How could you think so little of me?" Her loud voice continues to echo in the room as she crosses her arms over her chest and begins to pace her living room.

He just stands there and watches._  
_

"How _stupid _do you think I am? You _seriously _thought I was going to waltz into his campaign party and just kill him—Officer Hastings knowing I was there, you and the boys knowing I have motive, everyone knowing I have the means to murder him. You really thought I was that stupid! I thought you knew me better than that, Castle! I thought you thought higher of me than that!"

"I do, Kate!" he shouts back, finally snapping. She can accuse him of thinking she was going to kill Bracken all she wants, but telling him he doesn't _know _her, that he doesn't _think highly _of her is pushing it a little too far.

"No, you don't! _God, _Castle, you thought I was going to _kill _him!" she states once again, as if the idea is mind blowing.

"Can you blame me?" he replies, his voice raising to a borderline shout—he can't believe they're _already _having their first fight—as she sharply turns to face him. "I wake up _the day after we find out it was Bracken, _in your bed, to find you _gone. _And it just so happens that he's in New York, too? What would you of thought had I been the one missing? That it was just some coincidence?" he says, taking a step closer to her, again.

This time, she doesn't back away.

"I don't think you're _stupid, _Kate. I think you're determined and desperate for justice. I know you've been trying to find Bracken for _fourteen _years. So, can you blame me for think that _maybe, just maybe _you'd go out and kill him because we don't have enough evidence to slap cuffs on him?" he says, eyes locking on hers.

"You still thought I was going to kill him," she counters again, her argument no longer a shout, but more of a plea.

"I did. Yes, I did, Kate. But you can't tell me that I don't _know _you, or that I don't think highly of you," he says._  
_

"But you thought I was going to kill Bracken," she repeats. Her eyes flash with pain, darken as her mood grows somber. As his hand reaches out to caress her elbow, he realizes that she's more hurt than angry.

"I'm not going to deny it, Kate," he's softly, whispers fading in the otherwise empty apartment, echoing in her ears as her face falls. All signs of anger are gone, replaced by undeniable sorrow. "You're right. I thought you were going to kill him."

"How could you?" It's soft and desperate, her emotions running high, making him wonder if this short fight was caused by that exact issue. It's been an emotional week—between the entire Maddox issue and finally finding out who's behind _everything_—and he's sure that, is he was in her position, he wouldn't know how to feel about anything.

"I...I don't know, Kate. All I know is that I woke up, alone, in your bed, and that I was worried that I was going to lose you because you made a decision on a whim," he struggles to explain, his free hand taking it's place on her other elbow.

"I think you should go," she whispers, eyes falling to the floor as if his almost failed explanation had only hurt her more.

He backs away slowly, his arms falling to his sides. He nods slowly, his own anger fading as he sees how upset she is by him jumping to the wrong conclusion.

Without saying a word, he opens the nearby door and walks out into the hall, shocked when he hears her call his name from the apartment.

"Yeah, Kate?"

"I'll see you tomorrow?" It comes out more as a question than as a statement, but a small smile rises to his lips all the same. She smiles sadly in return.

"Yeah, Kate."

They don't last until the next day, though. She ends up calling him a few hours later, sometime around midnight—when her caller ID appears on his phone, he didn't really care what time it is—crying and apologizing like she had been two days ago in his front entrance. He shows up at her door in his sweatpants and cotton t-shirt, the fight already forgotten.


	53. prompt 53: beating 'Team Lovers'

**Prompt from Tank here of fanfiction: In 'Double Down', Ryan and Esposito are declared the winner of the bet by someone such as Montgomery, and Castle and Beckett have to deal with the consequences...besides the money. ****_This takes place in 'The Lovers' universe. Tank, I'm not sure if this is what you wanted, but it's what worked the best for me._**

* * *

"I'm sorry, Beckett, Castle, but I'm going to have to rule in Ryan and Esposito's favor on this one," says Montgomery, smiling at his best team's antics.

Esposito and Ryan cheer loudly, gaining the attention of everyone in the precinct—they really should of closed the door before coming in here to ask Montgomery to chose a winner—and many groans from those who bet that she and Castle would win, a group that makes up the majority of the homicide division. It doesn't seem to rain on the boys' parade, though.

She glances over her shoulder and pointedly rolls her eyes in their direction, making her fiance chuckle softly. When they let out another cry of celebration, though, he looks over at them and pokes his bottom lip out in a pout. She fights the urge to roll her eyes at him, her childish Castle, and leans up to press a quick kiss to his cheek. In turn, he looks down at her and presses one, just as quick and sweet and soft and loving, to the tip of her nose.

Over the past year, as their relationship and partnership went from strictly personal to personal and professional, they've learned to act professionally in the workplace. Sometimes, though, it seems impossible. Like lately, as they're still basking in post-engagement bliss.

It's a gentle nudge against her shoulder that makes her turn to meet the eyes of her captain, an amused smile still gracing his lips.

"I had to throw them a bone or something, right? Give _them _something to celebrate?" he says, turning to the boys. They're now counting their money and dividing it between the few people who actually thought that they could close their case before she and Castle could close their own. "You two don't need to win a bet to be thathappy, obviously."

"No, sir, we don't" she replies, smiling mostly to herself at his obvious comment about their engagement.

They had gone on vacation, her and Castle, leaving Alexis with her grandparents in order to get some alone time, about a month and a half ago. Though the entire trip had been amazing, the last day was by far the best. He had gotten down on one knee, telling her that, after already discovering so many layers of the Kate Beckett onion, and spending the past year with her discovering so many more, he wanted to dedicate his lifetime to discovering as many as possible. If the boys had been there, they would've gotten a good laugh out of the way she had turned into a crying, stuttering mess who was barely able to say yes, but she managed. And they spent that final night out celebrating their engagement.

Montgomery had noticed something was _different _from the moment they walked off the elevator. The ring had been hanging on a chain around her neck, invisible to all others. Yet, somehow, by the end of the day they had been brought into his office and congratulated on their engagement. By the end of the week, everyone had figured it out, or been told.

Montgomery had been extremely happy for them, making little comments in regards to it more often than not. The boys, however, had teased them mercilessly ever since.

As Ryan and Esposito turn to them, their winnings stuffed in their pockets, the remaining money in the envelope on Montgomery's desk, she knows now will be no different.

"Go ahead, gloat all you want. We still solved the case," she says, the happiness lingering in her voice from the memory of Castle's proposal ruining the exasperated effect she had planned on.

The boys glance at each other and shrug before turning back to them.

"We totally beat you guys," says Ryan.

"Yeah, even your lovers' connected...brain...thing...couldn't beat us," throws in Esposito, patting his partner's back.

"What are you gonna tell Alexis now?"

"That uncles Ryan and Esposito are _awesome._" By now, they're no longer in the captain's office and are all walking towards the elevator.

"Yeah, uh, no. We solved the case, and if Alexis wants to know, that's what we'll tell her," says Kate, allowing Castle to slip her jacket on for her.

Esposito heads off to give the few uniforms who bet on them their winnings before reappearing, the empty envelope landing on Ryan's desk.

"You guys would lie to your daughter?" asks Ryan, feigning a gasp of surprise just as the elevator doors open.

"It's not a lie, Ryan. It would only be a lie if we said we won the bet," says Castle.

"Yeah, well, we'll see her soon, and we'll tell her the _truth_," says Esposito. "Right, bro?"

"As if she'll believe you two over her own mother," says Kate, raising her eyebrows, telling them to try and challenge that.

"She might not, but everyone here at the precinct knows that _we _beat 'Team Lovers'. And they all say you guys are the best team in homicide," says Ryan._  
_

"In the precinct," Castle corrects him, making them both groan.

"Whatever. We _beat _you," says Ryan as they walk out of the precinct, Castle and Beckett heading in one direction, the boys in the other.

"We still solved the case first," say Castle and Beckett just before they're out of earshot, in perfect sync, as always.

"We told you, that shared mind thing is no match for us," yells back Esposito, watching as Beckett throws a smirk over her shoulder. "Bro?"

"Yeah?"

"Lets never bet against 'Team Lovers' again."

"Yeah."


	54. prompt 54: messing up your test

**Combination of two prompts. Clarkson124 : ****Meredith visits Alexis (when she has mono) and finds out Rick and Kate are married and she's four months pregnant. Guest: Kate is pregnant during 5x10. _Written in Meredith's POV._**

* * *

It's at dinner that it finally dawns on her, and she feels stupid for not realizing it sooner. Between the comments Alexis made, the loose shirts, the way her arm is often draped across her lower stomach, it's _so _obvious. Yet, it still takes Kate denying wine and getting water instead at their little dinner date for her to realize it.

"You're pregnant." It tumbles from her lips before she can stop it, making Kate swallow her gulp of water hard, eyes widening as she sets the glass back down on the table.

"I am," she says simply, the statement holding next to no emotion, as if she's not sure what to think or say or feel right now.

Really, she can't blame Kate for being...uncomfortable...in this situation. She's found it awkward enough, staying at the loft with Rick and Alexis and Kate, and she's just the ex-wife. She can't even imagine how awkward things must be for Kate, playing nice with a woman she _knows _has slept with her boyfriend before, including pretty much every other time she's stayed in Rick's loft since the divorce. Kate's stuck with their family, as unconventional and messed up as it is, probably feeling like the odd one out.

And on top of that, she's pregnant.

She's been there, too. She's been Richard Castle's pregnant girlfriend. Though, according to Alexis, Rick and Kate are much more serious now than she and Rick were back when she got pregnant. From what she can tell, Alexis is so, so right.

Kate seems comfortable—not with her, of course, but with Rick. She's put up with her thus far, dealing with her parading around the apartment almost naked, calling Rick kitten, shoving their old memories in her face, and she still hasn't snapped. So, there's a trust there, between Rick and Kate, one that was never there between her and Rick all those years ago when they were together.

It's movement from Kate that snaps her out of her thoughts, the detective's nimble fingers twirling her fork in her plate of spaghetti before bringing it to her mouth. It's only now that she realizes that Kate's other hand has been hidden under the table over the entire course of their dinner, and she can imagine it resting on a slightly rounded stomach.

She's been there, pregnant. She knows what it's like to see your stomach bulge, slowly as to accommodate a growing baby. Unlike her, though, Kate seems to have these maternal instincts, already.

"How far along are you?" she asks, hearing the undeniable curiosity in her own voice as she does so.

Kate's eyes widen as if the question surprises her, and she swallows her mouthful before speaking. "Just past four months now." She says it softly, smiling to herself.

She can't help but smile, too. "So, second trimester? That's the best part," she says, remembering how horrible the rest of her own pregnancy had been. The first trimester had been tainted by morning sickness, the third by back aches and Braxton Hicks. The second trimester, though, it was like the golden period.

"So I've been told," she replies, her eyes downcast. She can't tell if it's because she's looking down at her bump, or if it's because this makes her uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry." The words feel foreign on her tongue as she says them. She doesn't apologize often, and from the way Kate looks up at her with wide eyes, she assumes the detective has figured that much out. "Alexis, uh...told me things were serious between you and Rick. I couldn't believe it, because, well, you know." Kate nods. "I just wanted to check it out for myself. I wouldn't of...imposed...had I known you two were expecting."

Kate's eyes are wide with surprise, her lips slightly parted as if she's speechless.

"I can go to a hotel, if you'd like. Alexis is doing a lot better now, anyway," she suggests, feeling so oddly out of character and so oddly apologetic.

"Uh..." she hesitates, her hand on her belly raising slightly, allowing her to see the way her fingers curl around the baby bump slightly, protectively. "You know what, Meredith? At first, that's what I wanted, but you're welcome to stay for a little longer. Or, well, that's not my place, but it's fine with me," she says steadily, gracefully, her lips curling upwards ever so slightly.

"Thanks," she replies, letting a somewhat uncomfortable silence come over them until she speaks again. "So, Rick hasn't proposed?"

Kate laughs softly. "No. I think Rick knows that I won't get married just because I'm pregnant, no disrespect intended," she answers. "We are talking about moving in together, though."

"So this was a practice run, of sorts," she half-jokes in reply, surprised by the sudden ease that has taken over the conversation.

Kate laughs chuckles softly, swallowing another bite of pasta while shrugging. "I guess you could say that."

"Once again, Kate, I'm sorry for intruding on...well, everything," she says, taking a slow sip on her wine as she finishes speaking.

"Really, Meredith, I'm over it. I guess I was a little insecure at first. You know, being pregnant and all, and then you come back and you're so beautiful and I know that you two have...well, you know...when you visited before. But, hey, look at it this way," she smiles. "If we can survive living together with his ex-wife there, too, I think we can manage."

"I think you guys would manage no matter what," she admits. "You and Rick, it's different. I hurt him...and Alexis...badly when I cheated on him and left. You're not like me, you're...good for them, as much as it hurts to admit it. My family, they're lucky to have you, and they know it. Rick, he won't do anything to mess this up," she says, watching her wine as she twirls it in her glass, the depth of her statement hitting her hard.

"I know," replies Kate.

She's not at all surprised when, about a week later, Alexis tells her over the phone that Kate is moving into the loft. And the next time she goes to New York to visit Alexis, she also gets the meet the latest addition to the Castle family...and she stays in a hotel.


	55. prompt 55: great family values

**Prompt from Juzzy88 here on fanfiction: ****Alexis has a pregnancy scare and talks to Kate about it. Which makes Kate realise she needs to bring up the topic of kids with Castle, and she does in an interesting way that leaves Castle confused, until he confronts her about what she is talking about and they discuss kids properly. _Set post-A Murder is Forever, pre-Disciple._**

* * *

It starts when she gets a phone call from a very distraught Alexis, asking her to meet her at the drugstore because she thinks she might be pregnant, making her _promise _not to tell Castle unless she is. Trying to be the friend and mother figure that she knows, from experience, Alexis needs right now, she agrees.

She escapes the precinct during lunch the next day, sending a quick text to Alexis to tell her that she'll meet her at the drugstore down the street from the apartment she shares with Pi. She finds the young redhead standing in the feminine hygiene section, eyes locked on a box of pregnancy tests, hands clenched into fists at her sides. She instantly feels bad, remembering being in her position before...but younger. And she hopes for Alexis' sake that, like it was for her, this is a false alarm.

She helps Alexis pick out a few boxes, explaining that theses things can be wrong and that having the assurance of various companies is always better, before they go back up to her apartment. Since Pi's at work, they're alone in the small apartment. She waits, leaning against the kitchen counter, drumming her fingers nervously as she waits to hear what the results say.

When Alexis comes out, pregnancy tests clutched tightly in her palms. She sets them down on the counter, face up and they wait another minute—she already waited for two in the bathroom—for the results to appear. When they do, Alexis lets out an instant sigh of relief. Both tests are negative.

But it's what she says that gets Kate thinking: "Oh, thank goodness. Pi and I...we've never even talked about kids _at all._"

She stays with Alexis for another few minutes before admitting that she lied to Castle and that she really should be getting back to the precinct. Alexis smiles and thanks her, letting her leave.

He asks her where she was the minute she gets back to the precinct, and she keeps her promise to Alexis by telling him it was nothing important, just a quick errand she had to run for a friend. He accepts the answer, but she watches as he walks away, her thoughts still racing.

_We've never even talked about kids, _runs through her mind as if it's on repeat. Of course, that's not a bad thing that _Alexis and Pi _haven't talked about kids. They're young and in a still relatively new relationship. But her and Castle...that's another story. Their not young—in fact, her biological clock is ticking and pretty closer to it's end than not. And they're _engaged_, and yet they've never spoken about kids beyond: _You want more kids? I'd like the option._

And as she watches him walk away, she realizes they _need _to talk about it, but she can't build up the courage to just say it.

It's right as they're leaving that evening that she comes up with a plan. As she intertwines their fingers in the elevator, he mentions that she looks happy. She just shrugs, even as she runs through what she could say to make this work out the way she wants. So, she just nods, eyes locking on his.

It's after dinner, sitting next to him on the couch with some movie—she really wasn't paying attention when he put it on—that she decides to put her plan into action.

She angles her body towards him, his arm around her waist loosening slightly. "You know, I think you were right," she says softly, the words sounding foreign to her own ears. It's not often that she tells him he was right. He seems to think the same thing, as he turns to her with wide, teasing eyes.

"I was? Do tell, Katherine Beckett. What was I right about?"

"The elephants," she says simply, making his brow furrow.

"The elephants?" he asks, pulling her a little closer to him.

"Yes, the elephants, the ones on my desk," she says, turning away from him to keep herself from laughing at the look of pure confusion on his face. "They do have great family values, always making sure they're together and that the baby is following," she continues, pulling her lower lip between her teeth.

"That they do," he agrees, his attention no longer on the movie, but on her and her confusing words instead.

"You know, there's _five _of them on my desk," she says, turning even more into him as he wraps his arms around her waist even tighter, pulling her against him.

Her side brushes his as she turns to meet his eyes, sees the confusion still shining in the familiar blue orbs. She swallows back her laugh, watching as he tries to decipher the hidden meaning behind her words.

"Technically, there's _six _elephants on your desk," he says eventually, correcting her.

She fights back a groan. "I _know. _But there's only five that are together," she says.

He nods. "You're right. So, why does the fact that there's five of them together matter right now?" He narrows his eyes slightly, as if still trying to figures out what she means by all this.

"I don't know...their like a family," she says. "And I was thinking, Rick—" she turns to him fully so he can see the sincerity in his eyes. "—that there's _five _of them, but there's four of _us._"_  
_

"Four?" he says, and she once again fights back a groan because she wants to have a serious conversation without having to spell everything out for him but he's analyzing every detail. "You, me...mother?..and Alexis?" It comes out more as a question than a statement.

She nods.

"What about your dad?"

"He doesn't live here."

"Neither does Alexis," he counters, a hint of sadness making it's way into his tone.

"But she's here a lot more than my dad is. And no matter what, she's more a part of our _immediate _family than my dad is. She's your daughter," she says, making him roll his eyes in a way that says 'I know she's my daughter'.

"Okay, so, there's five elephants, four of us," he says, watching her nod. His brows furrow again, and she gives him the time to try and figures out what she means. And then he turns to her, eyes wide. "Is this you saying you want there to be five of us, like there's five elephants? And we can be a family and look after the youngest one, make sure their always following and learning, and that they know we always love them?"

Her heart melts at his words, at the way he goes far beyond his original question and gives her mind the material it needs to create images of him and her and their family and a baby who they'll look after and love and take care of the way the elephants do.

"Maybe...one day. Not now, but one day?" It comes out as a question, the end as a squeak as she looks up at him and locks her eyes on his. What she sees in them turns her already melting heart into a puddle. "Yes...one day. Do you?"

He pulls her even closer, her body pressed flush against his. "Kate, I have wanted to see you with a child for as long as I can remember," he tells her.

She raises her eyebrows in question. _Since when?_

"Since that case with Sorenson. When we saved that little girl, you went over and scooped her up and held her closer. It was like it was natural to you. And she was so little, but she didn't seem scared in your arms at all, Kate. It was...amazing," he answers her unspoken question.

"Wow..."

"And as I got to get to know you better...as I fell in love with you, Kate, I realized I wanted _your _children to be _my _children, too," he admits. "One day, when we're both ready, I want us to be five, too, like the elephants."

"Me too," she says, a smile coming across her face.

By now, their movie is completely forgotten, and he pulls her against her and presses a kiss to her lips.

And two weeks later, when they babysit little 'Cosmo' for their case, having a baby is a given, and they both speak of it that way.


	56. prompt 56: never leaving her again

**Prompt from a guest here on fanfiction: Kate is pregnant during 5x15 and 5x16 (Target and Hunt).**

* * *

The minute the door opens, she feels her heart burst in the cavern of her chest. The breath she had subconsciously been holding is released in a quick sigh of relief, a whoosh almost inaudible as it escapes her. Every single muscle of her being, which have been tense for the past few days thanks to so much stress, seems to relax, just enough to give her some relief.

And as Alexis walks by her, directly into her Gram's arms, she walks right into his.

The familiar, warm strength of his body surrounds her as her chin rests on his shoulder, his arms snaking around her waist as hers wrap around his middle.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she whispers against him, her eyes still wide open as he holds her against him, as she holds him. She usually melts into his embrace, into the simplest of touches, but right now, the worry still courses through her veins. And this new, still unfamiliar worry courses almost as deep as the fear that he wouldn't come back had.

There was more than one reason that she had been worried when Alexis was kidnapped. Of course, there had been fear for the young girl who had become like family to her over the years. And then there had been fear for her partner, for Castle, and if he would come back from Paris alive, how horribly he would take it if his little girl didn't. But there had been another fear, the same one that courses through her veins now. It had been the fear that Alexis wouldn't make it, or he wouldn't make it, and that in either scenario she'd be stuck doing _this _on her own.

She pulls away from his embrace with that thought, locking her eyes on his and taking in the lack of pain in them, reassuring herself that he's okay and Alexis is okay and that she won't have to do anything on her own. As long as he doesn't ever do this to her again.

"Please don't do anything like that again, without me," she breathes the thought out loud, hands coming up to caress his strong jawline and the slightly prickly skin of his cheek.

He smiles at her happily, even though she knows he can tell she's upset. "I won't." She can tell from the soft tone of his voice that it's a promise, not just what she wants to hear. It makes her smile, and she leans up to gently press her lips to his.

When she pulls away, her hands trail down his chest, a small, shy smile coming across her face.

"Good," she whispers, fingers clenching into fists around the material of his shirt. "Because, Rick, I really, _really _need to know that you're going to be here, and that I can trust you."

His face falls slightly. "Kate, I wasn't trying to hurt you. I was trying to keep you out of trouble...and save her." He glances over her shoulder briefly, eyes landing on Alexis before they return to hers. "She's my little girl. I couldn't just...leave her out there."

"I know," she whispers before leaning in to press another soft, quick kiss to his lips. "It's one of the things I love about you, Rick. And right now, seeing you be such a dedicated, loving father is...probably the thing I need most, but I can't have you risking your life like that again, not in the near future."

His brows furrow, and she has no doubt that he's confused because it's all she ever does, risk her life for others.

"I was so scared that something was going to happen, to her or to you, and that I'd have to do _this _on my own. And I _can't _do this on my own, Rick," she says, fingers releasing his shirt, hands interlocking at the nape of his neck.

"Do what, Kate?" he asks, eyes wide with both fear and confusion.

She smiles at him, a slight upturn of the corners of her lips. Her hand releases the other behind his neck, trailing down his shoulder and arm, palm meeting the back of his hand as she intertwines their fingers. He glances down at their joined hands, and she watches his facial expression as she presses his palm to her stomach.

"This."

His eyebrows raise, eyes widen in what can only be describe as pure shock. And, as she presses his palm to her still-flat stomach, she can only hope that his reaction to _this, _to the fact that they're having a baby, will be good.

Usually, she wouldn't even bother wondering, but after the week they've had, she can't be sure.

"You're pregnant?" It's soft and filled with...awe?

"Yeah. The doctor confirmed it the day before...you know. I was going to tell you but...you know...and I knew she deserved your undivided attention, and—"

"Oh _God, _Kate—" he pulls her against him chest again, wrapping his arms around her in a bone-crushing hug "—I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I shouldn't of left, especially without telling you. I shouldn't of... I could of died. Had I known, Kate, I wouldn't of gone."

"No, Castle," she interrupts, not pulling away from his embrace. His fingers dig into her lower back, holding her against him, pressing the entire length of her body to his, their child safe between them. "You brought her back safe, and you're okay. I told you, it was scary, but it was refreshing to see you be such a great dad, especially when I was so unsure about this," she whispers to him, her breath hitting the side of his neck as he holds her close.

"Still," he whispers back, his lips pressing to her shoulder. "I should of been here."

"As long as you're here from here on out, Rick, it's okay."

"Then I'll never leave your side again," he promises.

She pulls away from him, narrowing her eyes playfully. "I never said I wanted you right next to me all the time."

He chuckles softly along with her, presses a quick kiss to her lips and pulls her close again.


End file.
